Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Rwanda
Since 2001, Rwanda has lost about 54,000 hectares of forest (about 76,000 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (56%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 506,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 54,000 ha11% of it, about 76,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 30,300 hadeforestation, 56% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20184,360 ha lost
Map
Where Rwanda has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Rwanda 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 Rwanda, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,180 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 3,140 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 4,360 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 | 967 ha | 555 ha | 1,520 ha |
| 2002 | 705 ha | 241 ha | 946 ha |
| 2003 | 724 ha | 368 ha | 1,090 ha |
| 2004 | 696 ha | 432 ha | 1,130 ha |
| 2005 | 555 ha | 268 ha | 823 ha |
| 2006 | 490 ha | 252 ha | 742 ha |
| 2007 | 1,080 ha | 367 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2008 | 790 ha | 331 ha | 1,120 ha |
| 2009 | 975 ha | 438 ha | 1,410 ha |
| 2010 | 1,990 ha | 469 ha | 2,460 ha |
| 2011 | 676 ha | 264 ha | 940 ha |
| 2012 | 760 ha | 348 ha | 1,110 ha |
| 2013 | 1,590 ha | 889 ha | 2,480 ha |
| 2014 | 1,690 ha | 1,230 ha | 2,930 ha |
| 2015 | 1,090 ha | 1,150 ha | 2,240 ha |
| 2016 | 1,260 ha | 1,540 ha | 2,800 ha |
| 2017 | 1,260 ha | 1,470 ha | 2,730 ha |
| 2018 | 2,180 ha | 2,180 ha | 4,360 ha |
| 2019 | 1,090 ha | 1,450 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2020 | 1,270 ha | 1,980 ha | 3,240 ha |
| 2021 | 1,500 ha | 1,450 ha | 2,940 ha |
| 2022 | 1,330 ha | 1,220 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2023 | 1,590 ha | 1,460 ha | 3,060 ha |
| 2024 | 1,930 ha | 1,710 ha | 3,640 ha |
| 2025 | 2,060 ha | 1,650 ha | 3,710 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 Rwanda?
- 56%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 43%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.4%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations54% · 29,100 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging39% · 20,800 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes2.3% · 1,260 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Towns and roads2.1% · 1,130 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Shifting farming1.5% · 831 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Unknown causes1.4% · 767 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, mining and energy.
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 Rwanda
How much forest has Rwanda lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Rwanda has lost about 54,000 hectares of forest (about 76,000 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (56%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Rwanda getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,180 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 3,140 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 Rwanda?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (54%), logging (39%), storms, floods and other natural causes (2.3%). About 30,300 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 Rwanda?
The worst year was 2018, when about 4,360 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 Rwanda, 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.