Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Mombasa
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mombasa has lost about 804 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 28% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 2,890 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 804 ha28% of it, about 1,100 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 797 hadeforestation, 99% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2008174 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2018: satellite photo from November 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km south-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 Mombasa, year by year
The worst year was 2008, when about 174 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 | 44 ha | under 1 ha | 44 ha |
| 2002 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2003 | 124 ha | 1 ha | 125 ha |
| 2004 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 41 ha | under 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2007 | 38 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2008 | 174 ha | under 1 ha | 174 ha |
| 2009 | 57 ha | under 1 ha | 58 ha |
| 2010 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2011 | 79 ha | under 1 ha | 79 ha |
| 2012 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2013 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2014 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2015 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2017 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2018 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 19 ha | 1 ha | 20 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 1,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 858 ha
- Overall change
- −440 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mombasa shrank from about 1,300 hectares to 858 hectares, a net loss of about 440 hectares (−34%). New forest grew on about 45 hectares, but 485 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 Mombasa?
- 99%cleared for good (deforestation)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Towns and roads86% · 690 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations12% · 97 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Mining and energy1.2% · 10 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, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
Use this data
Put Mombasa's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Mombasa
How much forest has Mombasa lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mombasa has lost about 804 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 28% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Mombasa?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (86%), farms, pasture and plantations (12%), mining and energy (1.2%). About 797 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 Mombasa?
The worst year was 2008, when about 174 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Mombasa growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mombasa shrank from about 1,300 hectares to 858 hectares, a net loss of about 440 hectares (−34%). New forest grew on about 45 hectares, but 485 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 Mombasa over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2018 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Mombasa, 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 Mombasa, 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.