Drivers of deforestation in Kenya

Kenya: Drivers of deforestation was 2,719 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2,719 hectares
Change on year
up 77.2%
World rank
42nd
of 166 countries
All-time high
7,945 hectares
in 2014
All-time low
301.91 hectares
in 2009
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Drivers of deforestation in Kenya, 2001–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k2001201220232001: 3.4k hectares2002: 1.5k hectares2003: 1.0k hectares2004: 3.3k hectares2005: 2.2k hectares2006: 2.3k hectares2007: 2.1k hectares2008: 564.6 hectares2009: 301.9 hectares2010: 313.4 hectares2011: 420.3 hectares2012: 3.9k hectares2013: 1.5k hectares2014: 7.9k hectares2015: 726.9 hectares2016: 2.2k hectares2017: 3.1k hectares2018: 5.8k hectares2019: 6.2k hectares2020: 5.0k hectares2021: 2.1k hectares2022: 1.5k hectares2023: 2.7k hectares

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 39 South Africa 3,036 hectares compare
  2. 40 Cote d'Ivoire 2,974 hectares compare
  3. 41 Venezuela 2,761 hectares compare
  4. 43 Malawi 2,714 hectares compare
  5. 44 India 2,099 hectares compare
  6. 45 Gabon 1,992 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More environment data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

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

Indicator
Drivers of deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 2,829 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

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.