Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Hungary
Since 2001, Hungary has lost about 291,000 hectares of forest (about 2,900 km²): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5,010 hectares (1.7%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 1.99 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 291,000 ha15% of it, about 2,900 km²
- Cleared for good
- 5,010 hadeforestation, 1.7% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202319,700 ha lost
Map
Where Hungary has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Hungary as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Hungary, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 15,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 13,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 19,700 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 66 ha | 7,450 ha | 7,520 ha |
| 2002 | 83 ha | 7,640 ha | 7,720 ha |
| 2003 | 69 ha | 5,630 ha | 5,700 ha |
| 2004 | 118 ha | 11,900 ha | 12,000 ha |
| 2005 | 150 ha | 10,300 ha | 10,400 ha |
| 2006 | 125 ha | 7,860 ha | 7,980 ha |
| 2007 | 175 ha | 9,200 ha | 9,380 ha |
| 2008 | 184 ha | 8,700 ha | 8,880 ha |
| 2009 | 182 ha | 9,900 ha | 10,100 ha |
| 2010 | 189 ha | 11,200 ha | 11,400 ha |
| 2011 | 146 ha | 8,100 ha | 8,240 ha |
| 2012 | 198 ha | 11,800 ha | 12,000 ha |
| 2013 | 184 ha | 8,760 ha | 8,940 ha |
| 2014 | 434 ha | 14,700 ha | 15,100 ha |
| 2015 | 274 ha | 10,400 ha | 10,700 ha |
| 2016 | 390 ha | 13,600 ha | 14,000 ha |
| 2017 | 290 ha | 13,800 ha | 14,100 ha |
| 2018 | 433 ha | 13,400 ha | 13,800 ha |
| 2019 | 238 ha | 14,100 ha | 14,400 ha |
| 2020 | 155 ha | 11,800 ha | 12,000 ha |
| 2021 | 141 ha | 13,600 ha | 13,700 ha |
| 2022 | 169 ha | 14,600 ha | 14,800 ha |
| 2023 | 272 ha | 19,400 ha | 19,700 ha |
| 2024 | 168 ha | 12,500 ha | 12,700 ha |
| 2025 | 181 ha | 15,300 ha | 15,500 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Hungary?
- 1.7%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 97%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Logging97% · 282,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Farms, pasture and plantations1.2% · 3,410 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, mining and energy, wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debrecen | 1,920 ha | 30% | 36 ha |
| Nyíregyháza | 1,100 ha | 29% | 26 ha |
| Pécs | 1,020 ha | 9.1% | 40 ha |
| Győr | 533 ha | 14% | 45 ha |
| Szeged | 443 ha | 15% | 40 ha |
| Kecskemét | 430 ha | 23% | 7 ha |
| Miskolc | 257 ha | 2.6% | 13 ha |
| Budapest | 66 ha | 1.4% | 22 ha |
| Székesfehérvár | 47 ha | 2.5% | 2 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Hungary
How much forest has Hungary lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Hungary has lost about 291,000 hectares of forest (about 2,900 km²): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5,010 hectares (1.7%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Hungary getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 15,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 13,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation in Hungary?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (97%), farms, pasture and plantations (1.2%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 5,010 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss in Hungary?
The worst year was 2023, when about 19,700 hectares of forest were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches in Hungary, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.