Agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil
Brazil: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 1.82 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.82 million hectares
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
1st
of 187 countries
All-time high
3.40 million hectares
in 2004
All-time low
1.41 million hectares
in 2009
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 1.82 million hectares for agriculture-driven deforestation in 2024.
That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil peaked at 3.40 million hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.41 million hectares, in 2009.
That places Brazil 1st out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2.38 million hectares | — |
| 2002 | 3.09 million hectares | +29.6% |
| 2003 | 2.87 million hectares | -6.9% |
| 2004 | 3.40 million hectares | +18.4% |
| 2005 | 3.03 million hectares | -10.8% |
| 2006 | 2.43 million hectares | -20.0% |
| 2007 | 2.14 million hectares | -11.9% |
| 2008 | 2.01 million hectares | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 1.41 million hectares | -30.0% |
| 2010 | 2.08 million hectares | +48.3% |
| 2011 | 1.45 million hectares | -30.5% |
| 2012 | 2.20 million hectares | +51.7% |
| 2013 | 1.45 million hectares | -34.2% |
| 2014 | 2.05 million hectares | +42.2% |
| 2015 | 1.70 million hectares | -17.3% |
| 2016 | 2.98 million hectares | +75.4% |
| 2017 | 2.76 million hectares | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 2.12 million hectares | -23.0% |
| 2019 | 2.00 million hectares | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 2.05 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 2.14 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 2.48 million hectares | +15.9% |
| 2023 | 1.95 million hectares | -21.2% |
| 2024 | 1.82 million hectares | -6.8% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 1.82 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 460.26 hectares, 3954.7× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 1.82 million hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1,620 hectares, 1123.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.53 million hectares | 1.41 million hectares | 3.40 million hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.08 million hectares | 1.45 million hectares | 2.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.09 million hectares | 1.82 million hectares | 2.48 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More environment data for Brazil
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -8.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.221 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.36 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.155 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Brazil was 1.82 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 3.40 million hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.41 million hectares in 2009.
- How does Brazil rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Brazil ranks 1st out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture-driven deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Long-term, permanent tree cover loss for small- to large-scale agriculture.