Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Kenya
Since 2001, Kenya has lost about 410,000 hectares of forest (about 4,100 km²): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 3.31 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 410,000 ha12% of it, about 4,100 km²
- Cleared for good
- 308,000 hadeforestation, 75% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200726,300 ha lost
Map
Where Kenya has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Kenya 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 Kenya, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 9,950 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 18,400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2007, when about 26,300 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 | 15,400 ha | 3,960 ha | 19,300 ha |
| 2002 | 15,200 ha | 5,150 ha | 20,300 ha |
| 2003 | 10,200 ha | 3,330 ha | 13,500 ha |
| 2004 | 14,400 ha | 2,510 ha | 16,900 ha |
| 2005 | 10,600 ha | 2,200 ha | 12,800 ha |
| 2006 | 16,800 ha | 3,580 ha | 20,400 ha |
| 2007 | 20,800 ha | 5,550 ha | 26,300 ha |
| 2008 | 15,500 ha | 3,550 ha | 19,100 ha |
| 2009 | 15,100 ha | 2,500 ha | 17,600 ha |
| 2010 | 19,600 ha | 3,030 ha | 22,600 ha |
| 2011 | 13,700 ha | 3,600 ha | 17,300 ha |
| 2012 | 13,100 ha | 4,840 ha | 17,900 ha |
| 2013 | 8,750 ha | 4,780 ha | 13,500 ha |
| 2014 | 10,100 ha | 5,010 ha | 15,100 ha |
| 2015 | 9,510 ha | 6,020 ha | 15,500 ha |
| 2016 | 12,200 ha | 6,850 ha | 19,000 ha |
| 2017 | 15,200 ha | 6,860 ha | 22,000 ha |
| 2018 | 11,500 ha | 4,400 ha | 15,900 ha |
| 2019 | 11,500 ha | 4,380 ha | 15,900 ha |
| 2020 | 13,100 ha | 5,910 ha | 19,000 ha |
| 2021 | 6,160 ha | 1,330 ha | 7,490 ha |
| 2022 | 4,960 ha | 1,680 ha | 6,640 ha |
| 2023 | 8,180 ha | 2,980 ha | 11,200 ha |
| 2024 | 9,790 ha | 4,300 ha | 14,100 ha |
| 2025 | 6,870 ha | 3,530 ha | 10,400 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 Kenya?
- 75%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 24%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations74% · 302,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging22% · 90,200 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads1.2% · 5,030 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1% · 4,280 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: shifting farming, wildfires, mining and energy, 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.
Regions that lost the most
| Region | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi County | 484 ha | 10% | 364 ha |
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
Satellite timelapses of cities in Kenya
A satellite photo a year since 2017, with the forest lost marked on it, and the figures for each city.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Kenya
How much forest has Kenya lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Kenya has lost about 410,000 hectares of forest (about 4,100 km²): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Kenya getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 9,950 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 18,400 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 Kenya?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (74%), logging (22%), towns and roads (1.2%). About 308,000 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 Kenya?
The worst year was 2007, when about 26,300 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 Kenya, 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.