Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Sri Lanka
Since 2001, Sri Lanka has lost about 250,000 hectares of forest (about 2,500 km²): 6.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 3.95 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 250,000 ha6.3% of it, about 2,500 km²
- Cleared for good
- 237,000 hadeforestation, 95% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201617,500 ha lost
Map
Where Sri Lanka has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 12,100 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 13,100 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 17,500 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 | 3,450 ha | 324 ha | 3,780 ha |
| 2002 | 3,120 ha | 318 ha | 3,430 ha |
| 2003 | 2,980 ha | 183 ha | 3,160 ha |
| 2004 | 5,180 ha | 435 ha | 5,610 ha |
| 2005 | 4,180 ha | 497 ha | 4,670 ha |
| 2006 | 7,180 ha | 575 ha | 7,750 ha |
| 2007 | 9,810 ha | 469 ha | 10,300 ha |
| 2008 | 5,900 ha | 604 ha | 6,500 ha |
| 2009 | 13,100 ha | 978 ha | 14,000 ha |
| 2010 | 6,730 ha | 479 ha | 7,210 ha |
| 2011 | 14,100 ha | 640 ha | 14,800 ha |
| 2012 | 13,800 ha | 696 ha | 14,500 ha |
| 2013 | 7,490 ha | 485 ha | 7,980 ha |
| 2014 | 11,700 ha | 750 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2015 | 7,020 ha | 401 ha | 7,420 ha |
| 2016 | 16,900 ha | 613 ha | 17,500 ha |
| 2017 | 12,600 ha | 543 ha | 13,100 ha |
| 2018 | 12,700 ha | 539 ha | 13,200 ha |
| 2019 | 10,000 ha | 322 ha | 10,300 ha |
| 2020 | 10,900 ha | 400 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2021 | 12,900 ha | 419 ha | 13,300 ha |
| 2022 | 8,130 ha | 319 ha | 8,450 ha |
| 2023 | 11,500 ha | 312 ha | 11,800 ha |
| 2024 | 11,400 ha | 397 ha | 11,800 ha |
| 2025 | 14,500 ha | 807 ha | 15,300 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 Sri Lanka?
- 95%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 4.1%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations89% · 223,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads3.9% · 9,700 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging3.1% · 7,810 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Mining and energy1.9% · 4,750 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kandy | 543 ha | 2.1% | 499 ha |
| Trincomalee | 473 ha | 9.7% | 470 ha |
| Negombo | 346 ha | 5.1% | 340 ha |
| Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | 83 ha | 3% | 71 ha |
| Kalmunai | 50 ha | 4.1% | 30 ha |
| Colombo | 45 ha | 2.8% | 34 ha |
| Jaffna | 5 ha | 1.9% | 1 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Sri Lanka
How much forest has Sri Lanka lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Sri Lanka has lost about 250,000 hectares of forest (about 2,500 km²): 6.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Sri Lanka getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 12,100 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 13,100 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 Sri Lanka?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (89%), towns and roads (3.9%), logging (3.1%). About 237,000 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 Sri Lanka?
The worst year was 2016, when about 17,500 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 Sri Lanka, 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.