Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Stockholm
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Stockholm has lost about 430 hectares of forest (about 600 football pitches): 3.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (65%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 12,300 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 430 ha3.5% of it, about 600 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 280 hadeforestation, 65% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200640 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2018: satellite photo from July 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south-east 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 Stockholm, year by year
The worst year was 2006, when about 40 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 | 7 ha | 5 ha | 11 ha |
| 2002 | 17 ha | 3 ha | 20 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 10 ha | 8 ha | 18 ha |
| 2005 | 15 ha | 4 ha | 18 ha |
| 2006 | 33 ha | 7 ha | 40 ha |
| 2007 | 13 ha | 8 ha | 22 ha |
| 2008 | 17 ha | 13 ha | 30 ha |
| 2009 | 20 ha | 7 ha | 27 ha |
| 2010 | 15 ha | 8 ha | 23 ha |
| 2011 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2012 | 12 ha | 15 ha | 27 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | 4 ha | 10 ha |
| 2015 | 6 ha | 9 ha | 15 ha |
| 2016 | 12 ha | 3 ha | 15 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 2 ha | 19 ha |
| 2018 | 8 ha | 9 ha | 16 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | 13 ha | 22 ha |
| 2020 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 13 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | 5 ha | 14 ha |
| 2022 | 11 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2023 | 5 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 12 ha | 12 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 10,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,480 ha
- Overall change
- −875 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Stockholm shrank from about 10,400 hectares to 9,480 hectares, a net loss of about 875 hectares (−8.4%). New forest grew on about 83 hectares, but 957 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 Stockholm?
- 65%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 29%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 5.6%cause unknown
- Towns and roads65% · 280 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging29% · 126 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes5.5% · 24 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.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariehamn, Aland Islands | 3,340 ha | 27% | 243 ha |
| Tallinn, Estonia | 972 ha | 12% | 581 ha |
| Helsinki, Finland | 500 ha | 7.8% | 473 ha |
| Oslo, Norway | 672 ha | 4.8% | 212 ha |
| Riga, Latvia | 1,030 ha | 11% | 280 ha |
Use this data
Put Stockholm's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Stockholm
How much forest has Stockholm lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Stockholm has lost about 430 hectares of forest (about 600 football pitches): 3.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (65%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Stockholm?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (65%), logging (29%). About 280 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 Stockholm?
The worst year was 2006, when about 40 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Stockholm growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Stockholm shrank from about 10,400 hectares to 9,480 hectares, a net loss of about 875 hectares (−8.4%). New forest grew on about 83 hectares, but 957 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 Stockholm 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 Stockholm, 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 Stockholm, 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.