Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Madrid
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Madrid has lost about 461 hectares of forest (about 650 football pitches): 27% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108 hectares (23%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 1,740 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 461 ha27% of it, about 650 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 108 hadeforestation, 23% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2021346 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 4 km west of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Madrid, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 72 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 4 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 346 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 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 9 ha |
| 2004 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 12 ha | 16 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2021 | 56 ha | 290 ha | 346 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 11 ha | 13 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 2,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,720 ha
- Overall change
- +119 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Madrid grew from about 2,600 hectares to 2,720 hectares, a net gain of about 119 hectares (+4.6%). New forest grew on about 191 hectares, while 71 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Madrid?
- 23%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 75%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.9%cause unknown
- Logging75% · 344 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads23% · 108 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Unknown causes1.7% · 8 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Madrid's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Madrid
How much forest has Madrid lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Madrid has lost about 461 hectares of forest (about 650 football pitches): 27% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108 hectares (23%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation around Madrid getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 72 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 4 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 around Madrid?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (75%), towns and roads (23%). About 108 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 around Madrid?
The worst year was 2021, when about 346 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Madrid growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Madrid grew from about 2,600 hectares to 2,720 hectares, a net gain of about 119 hectares (+4.6%). New forest grew on about 191 hectares, while 71 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Madrid over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Madrid, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees 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 within 10 km of the centre of Madrid, 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.