Agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 20,253 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20,253 hectares
Change on year
down 23.7%
World rank
38th
of 187 countries
All-time high
38,129 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
8,749 hectares
in 2015
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia stood at 20,253 hectares.
That represents a change of down 23.7% on the previous year and down 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia peaked at 38,129 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 8,749 hectares, in 2015.
Ethiopia ranks 38th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 10,058 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 11,292 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 12,366 hectares | +9.5% |
| 2004 | 11,661 hectares | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 13,708 hectares | +17.6% |
| 2006 | 10,751 hectares | -21.6% |
| 2007 | 23,526 hectares | +118.8% |
| 2008 | 21,918 hectares | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 26,776 hectares | +22.2% |
| 2010 | 17,728 hectares | -33.8% |
| 2011 | 13,829 hectares | -22.0% |
| 2012 | 38,129 hectares | +175.7% |
| 2013 | 26,282 hectares | -31.1% |
| 2014 | 27,284 hectares | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 8,749 hectares | -67.9% |
| 2016 | 16,386 hectares | +87.3% |
| 2017 | 30,231 hectares | +84.5% |
| 2018 | 15,613 hectares | -48.4% |
| 2019 | 22,062 hectares | +41.3% |
| 2020 | 14,908 hectares | -32.4% |
| 2021 | 16,781 hectares | +12.6% |
| 2022 | 16,929 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 26,554 hectares | +56.9% |
| 2024 | 20,253 hectares | -23.7% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 20,253 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 2,362 hectares, 8.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 20,253 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723 hectares, 5.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15,784 hectares | 10,058 hectares | 26,776 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 21,629 hectares | 8,749 hectares | 38,129 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,085 hectares | 14,908 hectares | 26,554 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1478 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Ethiopia was 20,253 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 38,129 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,749 hectares in 2015.
- How does Ethiopia rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Ethiopia ranks 38th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.