Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Malawi
Since 2001, Malawi has lost about 288,000 hectares of forest (about 2,900 km²): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (66%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 1.57 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 288,000 ha18% of it, about 2,900 km²
- Cleared for good
- 190,000 hadeforestation, 66% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202323,400 ha lost
Map
Where Malawi has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Malawi 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 Malawi, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 18,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 14,800 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 23,400 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 | 2,040 ha | 505 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2002 | 3,260 ha | 1,040 ha | 4,290 ha |
| 2003 | 5,740 ha | 1,520 ha | 7,260 ha |
| 2004 | 4,090 ha | 1,740 ha | 5,830 ha |
| 2005 | 7,730 ha | 1,830 ha | 9,560 ha |
| 2006 | 4,390 ha | 1,300 ha | 5,700 ha |
| 2007 | 5,610 ha | 2,060 ha | 7,670 ha |
| 2008 | 7,730 ha | 2,270 ha | 10,000 ha |
| 2009 | 3,240 ha | 982 ha | 4,220 ha |
| 2010 | 3,240 ha | 802 ha | 4,040 ha |
| 2011 | 6,240 ha | 2,270 ha | 8,500 ha |
| 2012 | 8,720 ha | 3,660 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2013 | 6,070 ha | 4,700 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2014 | 11,200 ha | 7,560 ha | 18,800 ha |
| 2015 | 5,940 ha | 5,060 ha | 11,000 ha |
| 2016 | 7,970 ha | 5,880 ha | 13,900 ha |
| 2017 | 9,800 ha | 6,040 ha | 15,800 ha |
| 2018 | 8,260 ha | 7,300 ha | 15,600 ha |
| 2019 | 7,210 ha | 5,210 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2020 | 10,100 ha | 6,260 ha | 16,300 ha |
| 2021 | 10,600 ha | 6,420 ha | 17,000 ha |
| 2022 | 10,100 ha | 5,160 ha | 15,200 ha |
| 2023 | 16,500 ha | 6,930 ha | 23,400 ha |
| 2024 | 11,600 ha | 5,840 ha | 17,400 ha |
| 2025 | 12,300 ha | 6,070 ha | 18,400 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 Malawi?
- 66%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 34%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations65% · 188,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming22% · 62,500 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Logging11% · 30,900 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, 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.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Malawi
How much forest has Malawi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Malawi has lost about 288,000 hectares of forest (about 2,900 km²): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (66%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Malawi getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 18,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 14,800 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 Malawi?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (65%), shifting farming (22%), logging (11%). About 190,000 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 Malawi?
The worst year was 2023, when about 23,400 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 Malawi, 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.