Drivers of deforestation in Kenya
Kenya: Drivers of deforestation was 2,719 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Drivers of deforestation in Kenya, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 2,719 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.
That represents a change of up 77.2% on the previous year and up 84.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Kenya peaked at 7,945 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 301.91 hectares, in 2009.
Kenya ranks 42nd of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Drivers of deforestation in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3,403 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 1,482 hectares | -56.5% |
| 2003 | 1,030 hectares | -30.5% |
| 2004 | 3,279 hectares | +218.3% |
| 2005 | 2,178 hectares | -33.6% |
| 2006 | 2,272 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 2,083 hectares | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 564.56 hectares | -72.9% |
| 2009 | 301.91 hectares | -46.5% |
| 2010 | 313.42 hectares | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 420.31 hectares | +34.1% |
| 2012 | 3,872 hectares | +821.1% |
| 2013 | 1,471 hectares | -62.0% |
| 2014 | 7,945 hectares | +440.0% |
| 2015 | 726.88 hectares | -90.9% |
| 2016 | 2,152 hectares | +196.0% |
| 2017 | 3,147 hectares | +46.3% |
| 2018 | 5,775 hectares | +83.5% |
| 2019 | 6,163 hectares | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 5,006 hectares | -18.8% |
| 2021 | 2,106 hectares | -57.9% |
| 2022 | 1,535 hectares | -27.1% |
| 2023 | 2,719 hectares | +77.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 2,719 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 225.28 hectares, 12.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 2,719 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 3.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +821.1% | 420.31 hectares | 3,872 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,844 hectares | 301.91 hectares | 3,403 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 3,199 hectares | 313.42 hectares | 7,945 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,841 hectares | 1,535 hectares | 5,006 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.25 % 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 2.87 % 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 Kenya?
- Drivers of deforestation in Kenya was 2,719 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7,945 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 301.91 hectares in 2009.
- How does Kenya rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Kenya ranks 42nd out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 23 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.