Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Panama
Since 2001, Panama has lost about 545,000 hectares of forest (about 5,500 km²): 9.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 5.62 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 545,000 ha9.7% of it, about 5,500 km²
- Cleared for good
- 446,000 hadeforestation, 82% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200839,700 ha lost
Map
Where Panama has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Panama 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 Panama, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 21,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 27,300 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 39,700 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 | 16,000 ha | 2,200 ha | 18,200 ha |
| 2002 | 17,100 ha | 2,050 ha | 19,200 ha |
| 2003 | 9,820 ha | 1,400 ha | 11,200 ha |
| 2004 | 14,200 ha | 2,540 ha | 16,700 ha |
| 2005 | 10,800 ha | 1,510 ha | 12,300 ha |
| 2006 | 31,600 ha | 2,610 ha | 34,200 ha |
| 2007 | 18,300 ha | 2,330 ha | 20,600 ha |
| 2008 | 36,500 ha | 3,230 ha | 39,700 ha |
| 2009 | 33,800 ha | 3,110 ha | 36,900 ha |
| 2010 | 13,300 ha | 2,040 ha | 15,300 ha |
| 2011 | 19,800 ha | 3,220 ha | 23,000 ha |
| 2012 | 14,100 ha | 2,870 ha | 17,000 ha |
| 2013 | 10,900 ha | 2,990 ha | 13,800 ha |
| 2014 | 11,400 ha | 2,480 ha | 13,800 ha |
| 2015 | 8,740 ha | 1,720 ha | 10,500 ha |
| 2016 | 11,600 ha | 5,560 ha | 17,200 ha |
| 2017 | 24,000 ha | 6,840 ha | 30,800 ha |
| 2018 | 20,400 ha | 7,420 ha | 27,800 ha |
| 2019 | 25,900 ha | 7,870 ha | 33,800 ha |
| 2020 | 19,000 ha | 8,090 ha | 27,100 ha |
| 2021 | 18,400 ha | 5,820 ha | 24,300 ha |
| 2022 | 12,400 ha | 4,820 ha | 17,200 ha |
| 2023 | 19,000 ha | 5,930 ha | 24,900 ha |
| 2024 | 15,700 ha | 5,600 ha | 21,300 ha |
| 2025 | 13,700 ha | 4,730 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 Panama?
- 82%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 18%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations80% · 437,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming16% · 86,400 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Towns and roads1.1% · 5,810 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, mining and energy, logging, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Chorrera | 1,640 ha | 14% | 1,640 ha |
| Santiago de Veraguas | 1,280 ha | 13% | 1,270 ha |
| David | 1,170 ha | 11% | 1,110 ha |
| San Miguelito | 1,100 ha | 11% | 1,080 ha |
| Colón | 650 ha | 5.7% | 585 ha |
| Panama City | 442 ha | 5.9% | 432 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Panama
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 Panama
How much forest has Panama lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Panama has lost about 545,000 hectares of forest (about 5,500 km²): 9.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Panama getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 21,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 27,300 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 Panama?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (80%), shifting farming (16%), towns and roads (1.1%). About 446,000 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 Panama?
The worst year was 2008, when about 39,700 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 Panama, 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.