Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Sierra Leone
Since 2001, Sierra Leone has lost about 2.27 million hectares of forest (about 23,000 km²): 41% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 337,000 hectares (15%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 5.56 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2.27 million ha41% of it, about 23,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 337,000 hadeforestation, 15% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2015232,000 ha lost
Map
Where Sierra Leone has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 113,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 185,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2015, when about 232,000 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 | 4,550 ha | 13,900 ha | 18,500 ha |
| 2002 | 3,420 ha | 11,800 ha | 15,200 ha |
| 2003 | 2,540 ha | 6,380 ha | 8,920 ha |
| 2004 | 1,110 ha | 2,830 ha | 3,930 ha |
| 2005 | 2,550 ha | 4,250 ha | 6,800 ha |
| 2006 | 7,630 ha | 20,700 ha | 28,300 ha |
| 2007 | 5,680 ha | 15,900 ha | 21,600 ha |
| 2008 | 4,810 ha | 15,800 ha | 20,700 ha |
| 2009 | 7,380 ha | 22,700 ha | 30,100 ha |
| 2010 | 2,150 ha | 6,440 ha | 8,590 ha |
| 2011 | 9,350 ha | 24,400 ha | 33,700 ha |
| 2012 | 4,520 ha | 11,500 ha | 16,000 ha |
| 2013 | 29,900 ha | 140,000 ha | 169,000 ha |
| 2014 | 28,500 ha | 133,000 ha | 161,000 ha |
| 2015 | 33,600 ha | 199,000 ha | 232,000 ha |
| 2016 | 20,900 ha | 157,000 ha | 177,000 ha |
| 2017 | 28,900 ha | 203,000 ha | 232,000 ha |
| 2018 | 23,800 ha | 164,000 ha | 188,000 ha |
| 2019 | 22,300 ha | 153,000 ha | 175,000 ha |
| 2020 | 20,400 ha | 134,000 ha | 154,000 ha |
| 2021 | 14,500 ha | 98,100 ha | 113,000 ha |
| 2022 | 13,400 ha | 106,000 ha | 120,000 ha |
| 2023 | 13,900 ha | 85,100 ha | 99,000 ha |
| 2024 | 17,900 ha | 112,000 ha | 130,000 ha |
| 2025 | 13,900 ha | 90,400 ha | 104,000 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 Sierra Leone?
- 15%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 85%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Shifting farming85% · 1.93 million ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Farms, pasture and plantations14% · 313,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, towns and roads, logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, 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.
Satellite timelapses of cities in Sierra Leone
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 Sierra Leone
How much forest has Sierra Leone lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Sierra Leone has lost about 2.27 million hectares of forest (about 23,000 km²): 41% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 337,000 hectares (15%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Sierra Leone getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 113,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 185,000 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 Sierra Leone?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are shifting farming (85%), farms, pasture and plantations (14%), mining and energy (under 1%). About 337,000 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 Sierra Leone?
The worst year was 2015, when about 232,000 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 Sierra Leone, 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.