Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Thailand
Since 2001, Thailand has lost about 2.84 million hectares of forest (about 28,000 km²): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 20.1 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2.84 million ha14% of it, about 28,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 2.49 million hadeforestation, 88% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2017199,000 ha lost
Map
Where Thailand has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Thailand 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 Thailand, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 127,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 152,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 199,000 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 | 33,400 ha | 2,910 ha | 36,300 ha |
| 2002 | 56,300 ha | 4,920 ha | 61,200 ha |
| 2003 | 53,200 ha | 5,460 ha | 58,600 ha |
| 2004 | 84,400 ha | 8,180 ha | 92,600 ha |
| 2005 | 76,700 ha | 7,830 ha | 84,500 ha |
| 2006 | 92,800 ha | 8,000 ha | 101,000 ha |
| 2007 | 83,700 ha | 10,200 ha | 93,900 ha |
| 2008 | 74,000 ha | 6,730 ha | 80,700 ha |
| 2009 | 121,000 ha | 12,200 ha | 133,000 ha |
| 2010 | 124,000 ha | 12,500 ha | 136,000 ha |
| 2011 | 87,500 ha | 8,070 ha | 95,500 ha |
| 2012 | 105,000 ha | 11,600 ha | 116,000 ha |
| 2013 | 69,800 ha | 16,300 ha | 86,100 ha |
| 2014 | 118,000 ha | 21,600 ha | 140,000 ha |
| 2015 | 103,000 ha | 19,600 ha | 123,000 ha |
| 2016 | 145,000 ha | 29,100 ha | 174,000 ha |
| 2017 | 175,000 ha | 23,500 ha | 199,000 ha |
| 2018 | 118,000 ha | 17,500 ha | 136,000 ha |
| 2019 | 113,000 ha | 19,300 ha | 132,000 ha |
| 2020 | 100,000 ha | 21,200 ha | 122,000 ha |
| 2021 | 107,000 ha | 17,100 ha | 124,000 ha |
| 2022 | 96,200 ha | 15,800 ha | 112,000 ha |
| 2023 | 127,000 ha | 17,100 ha | 144,000 ha |
| 2024 | 128,000 ha | 15,800 ha | 144,000 ha |
| 2025 | 98,500 ha | 14,500 ha | 113,000 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 Thailand?
- 88%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 12%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations86% · 2.45 million ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming11% · 313,000 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, logging, mining and energy, 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.
Provinces that lost the most
| Province | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surat Thani | 423,000 ha | 40% | 418,000 ha |
| Nakhon Si Thammarat | 225,000 ha | 35% | 222,000 ha |
| Songkhla | 194,000 ha | 41% | 189,000 ha |
| Chiang Mai | 137,000 ha | 8.3% | 69,900 ha |
| Rayong | 49,200 ha | 40% | 48,900 ha |
| Lampang | 38,000 ha | 4.4% | 33,700 ha |
| Ubon Ratchathani | 34,500 ha | 16% | 33,800 ha |
| Prachuap Khiri Khan | 32,000 ha | 9.2% | 28,100 ha |
| Chon Buri | 15,400 ha | 23% | 14,300 ha |
| Ratchaburi | 10,500 ha | 6.5% | 8,290 ha |
| Udon Thani | 8,520 ha | 9.9% | 8,180 ha |
| Nakhon Ratchasima | 8,330 ha | 3% | 7,470 ha |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surat Thani | 5,600 ha | 37% | 5,590 ha |
| Hat Yai | 4,770 ha | 41% | 4,760 ha |
| Nakhon Si Thammarat | 983 ha | 14% | 980 ha |
| Rayong | 818 ha | 31% | 814 ha |
| Ubon Ratchathani | 384 ha | 16% | 377 ha |
| Si Maha Phot | 293 ha | 12% | 282 ha |
| Lampang | 285 ha | 7.2% | 280 ha |
| Si Racha | 261 ha | 12% | 258 ha |
| Ban Samae Dam | 256 ha | 13% | 242 ha |
| Bangkok | 236 ha | 13% | 232 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Thailand
How much forest has Thailand lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Thailand has lost about 2.84 million hectares of forest (about 28,000 km²): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Thailand getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 127,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 152,000 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 Thailand?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (86%), shifting farming (11%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 2.49 million 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 Thailand?
The worst year was 2017, when about 199,000 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 Thailand, 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.