Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Mongolia
Since 2001, Mongolia has lost about 439,000 hectares of forest (about 4,400 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 2,750 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 4.06 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 439,000 ha11% of it, about 4,400 km²
- Cleared for good
- 2,750 hadeforestation, under 1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200980,700 ha lost
Map
Where Mongolia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Mongolia 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 Mongolia, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,250 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 8,390 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 80,700 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 435 ha | 20,400 ha | 20,800 ha |
| 2002 | 249 ha | 16,900 ha | 17,200 ha |
| 2003 | 79 ha | 38,100 ha | 38,200 ha |
| 2004 | 133 ha | 52,400 ha | 52,500 ha |
| 2005 | 166 ha | 6,590 ha | 6,760 ha |
| 2006 | 155 ha | 12,700 ha | 12,900 ha |
| 2007 | 226 ha | 47,600 ha | 47,900 ha |
| 2008 | 225 ha | 55,000 ha | 55,200 ha |
| 2009 | 159 ha | 80,500 ha | 80,700 ha |
| 2010 | 155 ha | 8,320 ha | 8,470 ha |
| 2011 | 36 ha | 3,390 ha | 3,430 ha |
| 2012 | 102 ha | 33,800 ha | 33,900 ha |
| 2013 | 11 ha | 604 ha | 615 ha |
| 2014 | 16 ha | 490 ha | 506 ha |
| 2015 | 40 ha | 7,180 ha | 7,220 ha |
| 2016 | 168 ha | 4,070 ha | 4,240 ha |
| 2017 | 62 ha | 25,100 ha | 25,200 ha |
| 2018 | 11 ha | 9,180 ha | 9,200 ha |
| 2019 | 72 ha | 2,740 ha | 2,810 ha |
| 2020 | 60 ha | 436 ha | 496 ha |
| 2021 | 44 ha | 141 ha | 184 ha |
| 2022 | 11 ha | 92 ha | 103 ha |
| 2023 | 48 ha | 435 ha | 483 ha |
| 2024 | 35 ha | 2,670 ha | 2,710 ha |
| 2025 | 49 ha | 7,730 ha | 7,780 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 Mongolia?
- under 1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 97%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2%cause unknown
- Wildfires94% · 412,000 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging2.6% · 11,400 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes2% · 8,870 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, farms, pasture and plantations, towns and roads.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulan Bator | 559 ha | 23% | under 1 ha |
| Nalayh | 172 ha | 69% | under 1 ha |
| Erdenet | 25 ha | 1.8% | under 1 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Mongolia
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 Mongolia
How much forest has Mongolia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Mongolia has lost about 439,000 hectares of forest (about 4,400 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 2,750 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Mongolia getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,250 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 8,390 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 Mongolia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are wildfires (94%), logging (2.6%), storms, floods and other natural causes (under 1%). About 2,750 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 Mongolia?
The worst year was 2009, when about 80,700 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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 Mongolia, 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.