Drivers of deforestation in Mexico

Mexico: Drivers of deforestation was 32,952 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
32,952 hectares
Change on year
down 62.1%
World rank
8th
of 166 countries
All-time high
86,860 hectares
in 2022
All-time low
639.34 hectares
in 2020
Years of data
11
2001–2023

Drivers of deforestation in Mexico, 2001–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k2001201220232001: 14.9k hectares2014: 76.1k hectares2015: 37.0k hectares2016: 70.3k hectares2017: 29.6k hectares2018: 27.2k hectares2019: 22.3k hectares2020: 639.3 hectares2021: 11.4k hectares2022: 86.9k hectares2023: 33.0k hectares

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

The most recent figure for drivers of deforestation in Mexico is 32,952 hectares, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 62.1% on the previous year and down 56.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Mexico peaked at 86,860 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 639.34 hectares, in 2020.

Mexico ranks 8th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14,906 hectares 14,906 hectares 14,906 hectares 1
2010s 43,749 hectares 22,291 hectares 76,091 hectares 6
2020s 32,951 hectares 639.34 hectares 86,860 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 5 Paraguay 48,613 hectares compare
  2. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 44,747 hectares compare
  3. 7 United States 39,492 hectares compare
  4. 9 Argentina 31,700 hectares compare
  5. 10 Madagascar 28,080 hectares compare
  6. 11 China 26,740 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More environment data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is drivers of deforestation in Mexico?
Drivers of deforestation in Mexico was 32,952 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 86,860 hectares in 2022.
What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 639.34 hectares in 2020.
How does Mexico rank for drivers of deforestation?
Mexico ranks 8th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is down 56.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Mexico 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

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.