Costa Rica vs Panama: Annual deforestation
Costa Rica
4,500 hectares per year
in 2020
Panama
5,430 hectares per year
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
51st
Panama rank
48th
Annual deforestation over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Panama currently reports 5,430 hectares per year against 4,500 hectares per year in Costa Rica, a difference of 930 hectares per year.
That makes Panama's figure about 1.2 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 5 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Panama ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 51st and Panama ranks 48th of 112 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Panama in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,290 hectares per year | 18,950 hectares per year | 9,660 hectares per year | Panama |
| 2000s | 4,310 hectares per year | 13,730 hectares per year | 9,420 hectares per year | Panama |
| 2010s | 7,265 hectares per year | 5,675 hectares per year | 1,590 hectares per year | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 4,500 hectares per year | 5,430 hectares per year | 930 hectares per year | Panama |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual deforestation, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Panama, at 5,430 hectares per year against 4,500 hectares per year in Costa Rica as of 2020.
- What is the difference in annual deforestation between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 930 hectares per year, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for annual deforestation?
- Costa Rica ranks 51st and Panama ranks 48th of 112 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual deforestation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.