Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Sweden
Since 2001, Sweden has lost about 6.35 million hectares of forest (about 64,000 km²): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 63,400 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 27.5 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 6.35 million ha23% of it, about 64,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 63,400 hadeforestation, under 1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2020337,000 ha lost
Map
Where Sweden has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Sweden 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 Sweden, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 313,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 318,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 337,000 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 | 1,300 ha | 142,000 ha | 143,000 ha |
| 2002 | 1,620 ha | 175,000 ha | 176,000 ha |
| 2003 | 935 ha | 90,600 ha | 91,500 ha |
| 2004 | 2,470 ha | 266,000 ha | 269,000 ha |
| 2005 | 2,270 ha | 244,000 ha | 246,000 ha |
| 2006 | 3,130 ha | 244,000 ha | 247,000 ha |
| 2007 | 2,160 ha | 179,000 ha | 181,000 ha |
| 2008 | 4,130 ha | 286,000 ha | 290,000 ha |
| 2009 | 2,340 ha | 204,000 ha | 206,000 ha |
| 2010 | 3,140 ha | 258,000 ha | 261,000 ha |
| 2011 | 2,170 ha | 201,000 ha | 203,000 ha |
| 2012 | 3,180 ha | 229,000 ha | 232,000 ha |
| 2013 | 1,770 ha | 194,000 ha | 196,000 ha |
| 2014 | 1,950 ha | 238,000 ha | 240,000 ha |
| 2015 | 2,020 ha | 212,000 ha | 214,000 ha |
| 2016 | 3,300 ha | 304,000 ha | 307,000 ha |
| 2017 | 3,950 ha | 324,000 ha | 328,000 ha |
| 2018 | 3,350 ha | 284,000 ha | 287,000 ha |
| 2019 | 3,290 ha | 326,000 ha | 329,000 ha |
| 2020 | 3,850 ha | 333,000 ha | 337,000 ha |
| 2021 | 2,530 ha | 327,000 ha | 329,000 ha |
| 2022 | 2,360 ha | 324,000 ha | 326,000 ha |
| 2023 | 2,100 ha | 309,000 ha | 311,000 ha |
| 2024 | 1,620 ha | 310,000 ha | 312,000 ha |
| 2025 | 2,430 ha | 286,000 ha | 288,000 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 Sweden?
- under 1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 99%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Logging98% · 6.24 million 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, wildfires, mining and energy, farms, pasture and plantations, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umeå | 4,860 ha | 23% | 1,240 ha |
| Västerås | 3,630 ha | 33% | 538 ha |
| Örebro | 3,440 ha | 24% | 748 ha |
| Jönköping | 2,810 ha | 18% | 366 ha |
| Uppsala | 2,590 ha | 21% | 522 ha |
| Linköping | 1,900 ha | 22% | 222 ha |
| Gothenburg | 965 ha | 7% | 701 ha |
| Sollentuna | 911 ha | 6.8% | 695 ha |
| Stockholm | 430 ha | 3.5% | 280 ha |
| Helsingborg | 265 ha | 8.3% | 37 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Sweden
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 Sweden
How much forest has Sweden lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Sweden has lost about 6.35 million hectares of forest (about 64,000 km²): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 63,400 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Sweden getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 313,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 318,000 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 Sweden?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (98%), towns and roads (under 1%), wildfires (under 1%). About 63,400 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 Sweden?
The worst year was 2020, when about 337,000 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 Sweden, 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.