Annual change in forest area in Madagascar

Madagascar: Annual change in forest area was -124,278 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
-124,278 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
218th
of 235 countries
All-time high
-66,278 hectares
in 1991
All-time low
-160,132 hectares
in 2011
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Annual change in forest area in Madagascar, 1991–2025

-160.0k-140.0k-120.0k-100.0k-80.0k-60.0k1991200820251991: -66.3k hectares1992: -66.3k hectares1993: -66.3k hectares1994: -66.3k hectares1995: -66.3k hectares1996: -66.3k hectares1997: -66.3k hectares1998: -66.3k hectares1999: -66.3k hectares2000: -66.3k hectares2001: -106.8k hectares2002: -106.8k hectares2003: -106.8k hectares2004: -106.8k hectares2005: -106.8k hectares2006: -106.8k hectares2007: -106.8k hectares2008: -106.8k hectares2009: -106.8k hectares2010: -106.8k hectares2011: -160.1k hectares2012: -160.1k hectares2013: -160.1k hectares2014: -160.1k hectares2015: -160.1k hectares2016: -120.4k hectares2017: -120.4k hectares2018: -120.4k hectares2019: -120.4k hectares2020: -120.4k hectares2021: -124.3k hectares2022: -124.3k hectares2023: -124.3k hectares2024: -124.3k hectares2025: -124.3k hectares

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2025, annual change in forest area in Madagascar stood at -124,278 hectares.

That represents a change of up 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Madagascar peaked at -66,278 hectares in 1991 and was at its lowest, -160,132 hectares, in 2011.

Madagascar ranks 218th of 235 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -66,278 hectares -66,278 hectares -66,278 hectares 9
2000s -102,757 hectares -106,810 hectares -66,278 hectares 10
2010s -138,917 hectares -160,132 hectares -106,810 hectares 10
2020s -123,636 hectares -124,278 hectares -120,426 hectares 6

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 215 Mali -100,546 hectares compare
  2. 216 Cameroon -116,956 hectares compare
  3. 217 Burkina Faso -119,860 hectares compare
  4. 219 Nigeria -126,882 hectares compare
  5. 220 Mexico -127,766 hectares compare
  6. 221 Chad -127,914 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More environment data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area in Madagascar?
Annual change in forest area in Madagascar was -124,278 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual change in forest area recorded in Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was -66,278 hectares in 1991.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was -160,132 hectares in 2011.
How does Madagascar rank for annual change in forest area?
Madagascar ranks 218th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Madagascar data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual change in forest area
Unit
hectares
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
235 places, 8,225 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.