Drivers of deforestation in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Drivers of deforestation was 9,373 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Drivers of deforestation in Nicaragua, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 9,373 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4,463.9% on the previous year and up 158.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Nicaragua peaked at 50,946 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 205.37 hectares, in 2022.
Nicaragua ranks 25th 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 Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4,751 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 3,002 hectares | -36.8% |
| 2003 | 12,902 hectares | +329.8% |
| 2004 | 20,147 hectares | +56.2% |
| 2005 | 39,136 hectares | +94.2% |
| 2006 | 36,798 hectares | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 41,349 hectares | +12.4% |
| 2008 | 50,946 hectares | +23.2% |
| 2009 | 41,774 hectares | -18.0% |
| 2010 | 27,845 hectares | -33.3% |
| 2011 | 2,644 hectares | -90.5% |
| 2012 | 4,567 hectares | +72.7% |
| 2013 | 3,627 hectares | -20.6% |
| 2014 | 6,757 hectares | +86.3% |
| 2015 | 5,162 hectares | -23.6% |
| 2016 | 6,670 hectares | +29.2% |
| 2017 | 7,924 hectares | +18.8% |
| 2018 | 6,678 hectares | -15.7% |
| 2019 | 16,104 hectares | +141.1% |
| 2020 | 11,321 hectares | -29.7% |
| 2021 | 16,592 hectares | +46.6% |
| 2022 | 205.37 hectares | -98.8% |
| 2023 | 9,373 hectares | +4463.9% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 9,373 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 225.28 hectares, 41.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 9,373 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 220.38 hectares, 42.5× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +4463.9% | 205.37 hectares | 9,373 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27,867 hectares | 3,002 hectares | 50,946 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 8,798 hectares | 2,644 hectares | 27,845 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,373 hectares | 205.37 hectares | 16,592 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More environment data for Nicaragua
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.53 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Standard Deviation 0.243 °C (2024)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.04 % 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 -0.0474 % 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 Nicaragua?
- Drivers of deforestation in Nicaragua was 9,373 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 50,946 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 205.37 hectares in 2022.
- How does Nicaragua rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Nicaragua ranks 25th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 158.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.