Agriculture-driven deforestation in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 11,126 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 11,126 hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Sri Lanka peaked at 15,543 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2,832 hectares, in 2003.
That places Sri Lanka 45th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3,256 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 2,946 hectares | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 2,832 hectares | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 4,849 hectares | +71.2% |
| 2005 | 3,746 hectares | -22.7% |
| 2006 | 6,271 hectares | +67.4% |
| 2007 | 8,990 hectares | +43.3% |
| 2008 | 5,356 hectares | -40.4% |
| 2009 | 12,340 hectares | +130.4% |
| 2010 | 6,226 hectares | -49.5% |
| 2011 | 13,321 hectares | +113.9% |
| 2012 | 13,049 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 7,009 hectares | -46.3% |
| 2014 | 11,025 hectares | +57.3% |
| 2015 | 6,552 hectares | -40.6% |
| 2016 | 15,543 hectares | +137.2% |
| 2017 | 11,021 hectares | -29.1% |
| 2018 | 11,407 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 9,179 hectares | -19.5% |
| 2020 | 10,379 hectares | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 12,370 hectares | +19.2% |
| 2022 | 7,802 hectares | -36.9% |
| 2023 | 11,181 hectares | +43.3% |
| 2024 | 11,126 hectares | -0.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11,126 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 460.26 hectares, 24.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11,126 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 1,708 hectares, 6.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5,620 hectares | 2,832 hectares | 12,340 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 10,433 hectares | 6,226 hectares | 15,543 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 10,572 hectares | 7,802 hectares | 12,370 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Sri Lanka was 11,126 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 15,543 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,832 hectares in 2003.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Sri Lanka ranks 45th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.