Agriculture-driven deforestation in Rwanda
Rwanda: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 1,862 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1,862 hectares
Change on year
up 20.8%
World rank
65th
of 187 countries
All-time high
2,082 hectares
in 2018
All-time low
470.79 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Rwanda, 2001–2024
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 Rwanda is 1,862 hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.8% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Rwanda peaked at 2,082 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 470.79 hectares, in 2006.
Rwanda ranks 65th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 918.5 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 679.79 hectares | -26.0% |
| 2003 | 673.46 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 673.59 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 536.76 hectares | -20.3% |
| 2006 | 470.79 hectares | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 1,000 hectares | +112.5% |
| 2008 | 730.63 hectares | -27.0% |
| 2009 | 842.39 hectares | +15.3% |
| 2010 | 1,893 hectares | +124.8% |
| 2011 | 628.86 hectares | -66.8% |
| 2012 | 722.5 hectares | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 1,562 hectares | +116.2% |
| 2014 | 1,630 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 1,040 hectares | -36.2% |
| 2016 | 1,203 hectares | +15.7% |
| 2017 | 1,215 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 2,082 hectares | +71.4% |
| 2019 | 1,035 hectares | -50.3% |
| 2020 | 1,210 hectares | +16.9% |
| 2021 | 1,455 hectares | +20.3% |
| 2022 | 1,297 hectares | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 1,542 hectares | +18.9% |
| 2024 | 1,862 hectares | +20.8% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 1,862 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 2,362 hectares, 79% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 1,862 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723 hectares, 50% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 725.13 hectares | 470.79 hectares | 1,000 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 1,301 hectares | 628.86 hectares | 2,082 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,473 hectares | 1,210 hectares | 1,862 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 62 French Guiana 2,155 hectares compare
- 63 Russia 2,050 hectares compare
- 64 Burundi 1,934 hectares compare
- 66 Chile 1,715 hectares compare
- 67 Equatorial Guinea 1,536 hectares compare
- 68 El Salvador 1,524 hectares compare
More environment data for Rwanda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -31.63 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.35 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.0359 % 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 -1.42 % 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 Rwanda?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Rwanda was 1,862 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 2,082 hectares in 2018.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 470.79 hectares in 2006.
- How does Rwanda rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Rwanda ranks 65th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.