Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 116,100 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
116,100 hectares
Change on year
up 18.0%
World rank
18th
of 187 countries
All-time high
207,794 hectares
in 2010
All-time low
19,996 hectares
in 2004
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nicaragua, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 116,100 hectares for agriculture-driven deforestation in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.0% on the previous year and up 62.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Nicaragua peaked at 207,794 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 19,996 hectares, in 2004.
Nicaragua ranks 18th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 40,709 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 52,542 hectares | +29.1% |
| 2003 | 45,502 hectares | -13.4% |
| 2004 | 19,996 hectares | -56.1% |
| 2005 | 92,910 hectares | +364.7% |
| 2006 | 36,513 hectares | -60.7% |
| 2007 | 85,220 hectares | +133.4% |
| 2008 | 51,267 hectares | -39.8% |
| 2009 | 80,689 hectares | +57.4% |
| 2010 | 207,794 hectares | +157.5% |
| 2011 | 40,619 hectares | -80.5% |
| 2012 | 32,298 hectares | -20.5% |
| 2013 | 41,361 hectares | +28.1% |
| 2014 | 71,619 hectares | +73.2% |
| 2015 | 33,469 hectares | -53.3% |
| 2016 | 133,396 hectares | +298.6% |
| 2017 | 128,688 hectares | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 66,138 hectares | -48.6% |
| 2019 | 71,237 hectares | +7.7% |
| 2020 | 64,901 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 61,156 hectares | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 44,864 hectares | -26.6% |
| 2023 | 98,359 hectares | +119.2% |
| 2024 | 116,100 hectares | +18.0% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 116,100 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,953 hectares, 59.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 116,100 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1,620 hectares, 71.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56,150 hectares | 19,996 hectares | 92,910 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 82,662 hectares | 32,298 hectares | 207,794 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 77,076 hectares | 44,864 hectares | 116,100 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More environment data for Nicaragua
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.53 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Standard Deviation 0.243 °C (2024)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.04 % 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 -0.0474 % 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 Nicaragua?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nicaragua was 116,100 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 207,794 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,996 hectares in 2004.
- How does Nicaragua rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Nicaragua ranks 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.