Agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia

Malaysia: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 196,314 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
196,314 hectares
Change on year
down 10.0%
World rank
6th
of 187 countries
All-time high
498,022 hectares
in 2009
All-time low
138,032 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia, 2001–2024

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k2001201220242001: 267.0k hectares2002: 259.9k hectares2003: 138.0k hectares2004: 264.9k hectares2005: 301.8k hectares2006: 259.6k hectares2007: 304.8k hectares2008: 278.1k hectares2009: 498.0k hectares2010: 350.5k hectares2011: 366.2k hectares2012: 475.2k hectares2013: 265.9k hectares2014: 451.0k hectares2015: 312.2k hectares2016: 378.0k hectares2017: 324.4k hectares2018: 291.0k hectares2019: 268.5k hectares2020: 193.2k hectares2021: 201.9k hectares2022: 170.9k hectares2023: 218.1k hectares2024: 196.3k hectares

Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

The most recent figure for agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia is 196,314 hectares, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 56.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia peaked at 498,022 hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 138,032 hectares, in 2003.

That places Malaysia 6th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 285,795 hectares 138,032 hectares 498,022 hectares 9
2010s 348,295 hectares 265,940 hectares 475,185 hectares 10
2020s 196,081 hectares 170,916 hectares 218,108 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 3 Bolivia 286,053 hectares compare
  2. 4 Mozambique 228,172 hectares compare
  3. 5 Angola 205,033 hectares compare
  4. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 191,481 hectares compare
  5. 8 Colombia 189,845 hectares compare
  6. 9 Tanzania 177,886 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More environment data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia?
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Malaysia was 196,314 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 498,022 hectares in 2009.
What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 138,032 hectares in 2003.
How does Malaysia rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
Malaysia ranks 6th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 56.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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

Indicator
Agriculture-driven deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 4,269 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Long-term, permanent tree cover loss for small- to large-scale agriculture.