Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia
Gambia: Annual deforestation as a share of forest area was 2.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia, 1990–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 2.9% for annual deforestation as a share of forest area in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is up 48.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia peaked at 2.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1990.
That places Gambia 3rd out of 105 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.4% | — |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +17.9% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +19.3% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | +34.0% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 2.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.2%, 2.3× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 2.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6%, 4.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 1 Burkina Faso 3.3% compare
- 2 Chad 3.0% compare
- 4 Cote d'Ivoire 2.2% compare
- 5 Malawi 1.9% compare
- 6 Guatemala 1.7% compare
More environment data for Gambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.18 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.366 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.36 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9281 % 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 -1.52 % 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 annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia?
- Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in Gambia was 2.9% in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1990.
- How does Gambia rank for annual deforestation as a share of forest area?
- Gambia ranks 3rd out of 105 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual deforestation as a share of forest area rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual deforestation as a share of forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual deforestation as share of forest area represents the yearly percentage of forest area lost due to deforestation relative to the total forest area.