Drivers of deforestation in Guatemala
Guatemala: Drivers of deforestation was 7,489 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Drivers of deforestation in Guatemala, 2013–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 7,489 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.
The figure is up 524.2% on the previous year and up 127.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Guatemala peaked at 16,238 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1,200 hectares, in 2022.
Guatemala ranks 29th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Drivers of deforestation in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3,292 hectares | — |
| 2014 | 7,610 hectares | +131.1% |
| 2015 | 15,074 hectares | +98.1% |
| 2016 | 15,528 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 16,238 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 13,582 hectares | -16.4% |
| 2019 | 15,847 hectares | +16.7% |
| 2020 | 9,668 hectares | -39.0% |
| 2021 | 11,598 hectares | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 1,200 hectares | -89.7% |
| 2023 | 7,489 hectares | +524.2% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 7,489 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.69 hectares, 100.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 7,489 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 220.38 hectares, 34.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12,453 hectares | 3,292 hectares | 16,238 hectares | 7 |
| 2020s | 7,489 hectares | 1,200 hectares | 11,598 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More environment data for Guatemala
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.45 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.02 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.273 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.11 % 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 % 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 drivers of deforestation in Guatemala?
- Drivers of deforestation in Guatemala was 7,489 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 16,238 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,200 hectares in 2022.
- How does Guatemala rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Guatemala ranks 29th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 127.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drivers of deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates of commodity-driven deforestation, measured in hectares per year. This includes deforestation caused by the production of agricultural products and forestry, which account for approximately 90% of the world's deforestation.