Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Slovakia
Since 2001, Slovakia has lost about 256,000 hectares of forest (about 2,600 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 2,750 hectares (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 2.35 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 256,000 ha11% of it, about 2,600 km²
- Cleared for good
- 2,750 hadeforestation, 1.1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200527,000 ha lost
Map
Where Slovakia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Slovakia 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 Slovakia, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 7,530 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 13,900 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 27,000 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 | 41 ha | 3,830 ha | 3,880 ha |
| 2002 | 43 ha | 3,880 ha | 3,920 ha |
| 2003 | 34 ha | 3,710 ha | 3,750 ha |
| 2004 | 59 ha | 4,470 ha | 4,530 ha |
| 2005 | 153 ha | 26,800 ha | 27,000 ha |
| 2006 | 105 ha | 7,850 ha | 7,960 ha |
| 2007 | 210 ha | 9,010 ha | 9,220 ha |
| 2008 | 286 ha | 12,900 ha | 13,200 ha |
| 2009 | 135 ha | 10,900 ha | 11,100 ha |
| 2010 | 180 ha | 16,400 ha | 16,600 ha |
| 2011 | 74 ha | 11,300 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2012 | 90 ha | 8,930 ha | 9,020 ha |
| 2013 | 91 ha | 4,920 ha | 5,020 ha |
| 2014 | 149 ha | 17,000 ha | 17,100 ha |
| 2015 | 114 ha | 5,090 ha | 5,210 ha |
| 2016 | 163 ha | 16,400 ha | 16,600 ha |
| 2017 | 171 ha | 13,800 ha | 14,000 ha |
| 2018 | 127 ha | 17,200 ha | 17,300 ha |
| 2019 | 91 ha | 10,000 ha | 10,100 ha |
| 2020 | 118 ha | 11,400 ha | 11,500 ha |
| 2021 | 58 ha | 5,880 ha | 5,930 ha |
| 2022 | 56 ha | 5,070 ha | 5,130 ha |
| 2023 | 77 ha | 9,620 ha | 9,700 ha |
| 2024 | 51 ha | 7,460 ha | 7,510 ha |
| 2025 | 71 ha | 9,300 ha | 9,380 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 Slovakia?
- 1.1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 98%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Logging98% · 250,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, 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.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Žilina | 2,940 ha | 20% | 50 ha |
| Prešov | 658 ha | 5.5% | 62 ha |
| Košice | 385 ha | 3.6% | 31 ha |
| Bratislava | 356 ha | 3.8% | 28 ha |
| Nitra | 230 ha | 5.1% | 18 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Slovakia
How much forest has Slovakia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Slovakia has lost about 256,000 hectares of forest (about 2,600 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 2,750 hectares (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Slovakia getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 7,530 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 13,900 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 Slovakia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (98%), towns and roads (under 1%), 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 Slovakia?
The worst year was 2005, when about 27,000 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 Slovakia, 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.