Agriculture-driven deforestation in Spain
Spain: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 1,380 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Spain, 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 Spain is 1,380 hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.7% on the previous year and down 35.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Spain peaked at 4,682 hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1,073 hectares, in 2023.
That places Spain 70th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,445 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 3,190 hectares | +30.5% |
| 2003 | 1,880 hectares | -41.1% |
| 2004 | 4,682 hectares | +149.0% |
| 2005 | 3,066 hectares | -34.5% |
| 2006 | 3,873 hectares | +26.3% |
| 2007 | 3,304 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2008 | 2,506 hectares | -24.1% |
| 2009 | 4,010 hectares | +60.0% |
| 2010 | 2,769 hectares | -31.0% |
| 2011 | 1,925 hectares | -30.5% |
| 2012 | 2,183 hectares | +13.4% |
| 2013 | 2,054 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 2,139 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 1,791 hectares | -16.2% |
| 2016 | 3,006 hectares | +67.8% |
| 2017 | 2,238 hectares | -25.5% |
| 2018 | 2,620 hectares | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 1,503 hectares | -42.6% |
| 2020 | 2,268 hectares | +50.9% |
| 2021 | 1,414 hectares | -37.6% |
| 2022 | 1,557 hectares | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 1,073 hectares | -31.1% |
| 2024 | 1,380 hectares | +28.7% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 1,380 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 66.13 hectares, 20.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Spain's 1,380 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 44.3 hectares, 31.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3,217 hectares | 1,880 hectares | 4,682 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 2,223 hectares | 1,503 hectares | 3,006 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,538 hectares | 1,073 hectares | 2,268 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 67 Equatorial Guinea 1,536 hectares compare
- 68 El Salvador 1,524 hectares compare
- 69 New Zealand 1,383 hectares compare
- 71 Benin 1,374 hectares compare
- 72 Haiti 1,103 hectares compare
- 73 Uruguay 1,088 hectares compare
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 Spain?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Spain was 1,380 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 4,682 hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,073 hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Spain ranks 70th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.