Agriculture-driven deforestation in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 5,420 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
5,420 hectares
Change on year
down 16.5%
World rank
51st
of 187 countries
All-time high
25,440 hectares
in 2015
All-time low
5,330 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Papua New Guinea, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 5,420 hectares for agriculture-driven deforestation in 2024.
That represents a change of down 16.5% on the previous year and down 74.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Papua New Guinea peaked at 25,440 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5,330 hectares, in 2003.
That places Papua New Guinea 51st out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5,737 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 8,619 hectares | +50.2% |
| 2003 | 5,330 hectares | -38.2% |
| 2004 | 9,758 hectares | +83.1% |
| 2005 | 5,449 hectares | -44.2% |
| 2006 | 9,495 hectares | +74.3% |
| 2007 | 7,038 hectares | -25.9% |
| 2008 | 9,325 hectares | +32.5% |
| 2009 | 6,621 hectares | -29.0% |
| 2010 | 10,461 hectares | +58.0% |
| 2011 | 9,597 hectares | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 16,082 hectares | +67.6% |
| 2013 | 13,828 hectares | -14.0% |
| 2014 | 20,841 hectares | +50.7% |
| 2015 | 25,440 hectares | +22.1% |
| 2016 | 19,856 hectares | -21.9% |
| 2017 | 13,486 hectares | -32.1% |
| 2018 | 10,525 hectares | -22.0% |
| 2019 | 7,917 hectares | -24.8% |
| 2020 | 5,953 hectares | -24.8% |
| 2021 | 6,431 hectares | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 14,672 hectares | +128.1% |
| 2023 | 6,488 hectares | -55.8% |
| 2024 | 5,420 hectares | -16.5% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 5,420 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,953 hectares, 2.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 5,420 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,101 hectares, 4.9× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7,486 hectares | 5,330 hectares | 9,758 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 14,803 hectares | 7,917 hectares | 25,440 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,793 hectares | 5,420 hectares | 14,672 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 48 Dominican Republic 9,293 hectares compare
- 49 Costa Rica 7,308 hectares compare
- 50 Congo 6,340 hectares compare
- 52 Guinea-Bissau 4,696 hectares compare
- 53 Australia 4,652 hectares compare
- 54 Suriname 4,492 hectares compare
More environment data for Papua New Guinea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.56 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.183 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.834 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9266 % 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 0.6032 % 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 Papua New Guinea?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Papua New Guinea was 5,420 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 25,440 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,330 hectares in 2003.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 51st out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.