Agriculture-driven deforestation in Mexico
Mexico: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 173,767 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
173,767 hectares
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
10th
of 187 countries
All-time high
254,792 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
130,000 hectares
in 2022
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Mexico, 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 Mexico stood at 173,767 hectares.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Mexico peaked at 254,792 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 130,000 hectares, in 2022.
That places Mexico 10th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Mexico, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 138,261 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 136,232 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 133,341 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 149,084 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2005 | 183,130 hectares | +22.8% |
| 2006 | 131,608 hectares | -28.1% |
| 2007 | 195,093 hectares | +48.2% |
| 2008 | 153,101 hectares | -21.5% |
| 2009 | 229,004 hectares | +49.6% |
| 2010 | 144,218 hectares | -37.0% |
| 2011 | 144,018 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 146,302 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 175,353 hectares | +19.9% |
| 2014 | 146,763 hectares | -16.3% |
| 2015 | 157,449 hectares | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 226,575 hectares | +43.9% |
| 2017 | 241,112 hectares | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 219,385 hectares | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 254,792 hectares | +16.1% |
| 2020 | 220,076 hectares | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 137,172 hectares | -37.7% |
| 2022 | 130,000 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 174,212 hectares | +34.0% |
| 2024 | 173,767 hectares | -0.3% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 173,767 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 460.26 hectares, 377.5× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 173,767 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1,620 hectares, 107.3× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 160,984 hectares | 131,608 hectares | 229,004 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 185,597 hectares | 144,018 hectares | 254,792 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 167,045 hectares | 130,000 hectares | 220,076 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More environment data for Mexico
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.6859 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.6189 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.234 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.62 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1645 % 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 -0.5194 % 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 Mexico?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Mexico was 173,767 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 254,792 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 130,000 hectares in 2022.
- How does Mexico rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Mexico ranks 10th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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.