Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 94,299 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nigeria, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 94,299 hectares for agriculture-driven deforestation in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.1% on the previous year and up 63.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Nigeria peaked at 149,865 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 10,644 hectares, in 2005.
That places Nigeria 19th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 36,379 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 27,699 hectares | -23.9% |
| 2003 | 11,686 hectares | -57.8% |
| 2004 | 12,386 hectares | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 10,644 hectares | -14.1% |
| 2006 | 22,404 hectares | +110.5% |
| 2007 | 19,392 hectares | -13.4% |
| 2008 | 22,117 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2009 | 20,363 hectares | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 27,215 hectares | +33.7% |
| 2011 | 46,583 hectares | +71.2% |
| 2012 | 29,490 hectares | -36.7% |
| 2013 | 35,758 hectares | +21.3% |
| 2014 | 57,565 hectares | +61.0% |
| 2015 | 35,146 hectares | -38.9% |
| 2016 | 63,716 hectares | +81.3% |
| 2017 | 149,865 hectares | +135.2% |
| 2018 | 105,507 hectares | -29.6% |
| 2019 | 77,791 hectares | -26.3% |
| 2020 | 87,876 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 85,719 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 94,635 hectares | +10.4% |
| 2023 | 74,198 hectares | -21.6% |
| 2024 | 94,299 hectares | +27.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 94,299 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,953 hectares, 48.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 94,299 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723 hectares, 25.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20,341 hectares | 10,644 hectares | 36,379 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 62,864 hectares | 27,215 hectares | 149,865 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 87,345 hectares | 74,198 hectares | 94,635 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More environment data for Nigeria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.78 % 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 0.4617 % 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 Nigeria?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Nigeria was 94,299 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 149,865 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,644 hectares in 2005.
- How does Nigeria rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Nigeria ranks 19th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.