Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Togo
Since 2001, Togo has lost about 89,600 hectares of forest (about 130,000 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 583,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 89,600 ha15% of it, about 130,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 63,900 hadeforestation, 71% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20177,410 ha lost
Map
Where Togo has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Togo 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 Togo, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 5,470 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 5,770 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 7,410 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 | 2,610 ha | 175 ha | 2,780 ha |
| 2002 | 1,870 ha | 132 ha | 2,010 ha |
| 2003 | 1,820 ha | 176 ha | 2,000 ha |
| 2004 | 2,530 ha | 270 ha | 2,800 ha |
| 2005 | 1,900 ha | 126 ha | 2,030 ha |
| 2006 | 1,510 ha | 145 ha | 1,650 ha |
| 2007 | 2,800 ha | 414 ha | 3,210 ha |
| 2008 | 1,110 ha | 91 ha | 1,200 ha |
| 2009 | 5,320 ha | 195 ha | 5,520 ha |
| 2010 | 469 ha | 56 ha | 525 ha |
| 2011 | 1,080 ha | 245 ha | 1,330 ha |
| 2012 | 1,650 ha | 133 ha | 1,790 ha |
| 2013 | 2,150 ha | 940 ha | 3,090 ha |
| 2014 | 1,780 ha | 744 ha | 2,530 ha |
| 2015 | 650 ha | 295 ha | 945 ha |
| 2016 | 2,390 ha | 1,150 ha | 3,550 ha |
| 2017 | 4,180 ha | 3,240 ha | 7,410 ha |
| 2018 | 4,290 ha | 2,630 ha | 6,920 ha |
| 2019 | 3,170 ha | 2,210 ha | 5,380 ha |
| 2020 | 3,620 ha | 1,980 ha | 5,600 ha |
| 2021 | 3,550 ha | 2,500 ha | 6,050 ha |
| 2022 | 3,000 ha | 2,130 ha | 5,130 ha |
| 2023 | 2,840 ha | 1,650 ha | 4,490 ha |
| 2024 | 4,080 ha | 1,810 ha | 5,890 ha |
| 2025 | 3,520 ha | 2,260 ha | 5,780 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 Togo?
- 71%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 28%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations71% · 63,400 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming28% · 25,400 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, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Togo
How much forest has Togo lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Togo has lost about 89,600 hectares of forest (about 130,000 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Togo getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 5,470 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 5,770 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 Togo?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (71%), shifting farming (28%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 63,900 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 Togo?
The worst year was 2017, when about 7,410 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 Togo, 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.