Drivers of deforestation in Madagascar
Madagascar: Drivers of deforestation was 28,080 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Drivers of deforestation in Madagascar, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 28,080 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.
The figure is down 15.4% on the previous year and up 377.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Madagascar peaked at 35,858 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 4,141 hectares, in 2011.
Madagascar ranks 10th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Drivers of deforestation in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18,932 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 20,199 hectares | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 22,498 hectares | +11.4% |
| 2004 | 16,549 hectares | -26.4% |
| 2005 | 25,331 hectares | +53.1% |
| 2006 | 24,982 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 35,858 hectares | +43.5% |
| 2008 | 28,574 hectares | -20.3% |
| 2009 | 19,406 hectares | -32.1% |
| 2010 | 4,911 hectares | -74.7% |
| 2011 | 4,141 hectares | -15.7% |
| 2012 | 6,567 hectares | +58.6% |
| 2013 | 5,877 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2014 | 14,703 hectares | +150.2% |
| 2015 | 15,641 hectares | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 21,168 hectares | +35.3% |
| 2017 | 17,666 hectares | -16.5% |
| 2018 | 20,388 hectares | +15.4% |
| 2019 | 20,867 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 25,251 hectares | +21.0% |
| 2021 | 25,784 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 33,204 hectares | +28.8% |
| 2023 | 28,080 hectares | -15.4% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 28,080 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 550.07 hectares, 51.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 28,080 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 37.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23,592 hectares | 16,549 hectares | 35,858 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 13,193 hectares | 4,141 hectares | 21,168 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,080 hectares | 25,251 hectares | 33,204 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More environment data for Madagascar
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.297 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.17 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2369 % 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 -1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drivers of deforestation in Madagascar?
- Drivers of deforestation in Madagascar was 28,080 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 35,858 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,141 hectares in 2011.
- How does Madagascar rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Madagascar ranks 10th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 377.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.