Drivers of deforestation in Nigeria
Nigeria: Drivers of deforestation was 22,772 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Drivers of deforestation in Nigeria, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for drivers of deforestation in Nigeria is 22,772 hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Nigeria peaked at 40,128 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5,881 hectares, in 2015.
That places Nigeria 14th out of 166 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18,231 hectares | 14,085 hectares | 24,122 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 29,221 hectares | 5,881 hectares | 40,128 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 26,263 hectares | 20,321 hectares | 38,078 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More environment data for Nigeria
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 350.56 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 1.51 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 56.75 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 8.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 75.63 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1661 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 175.13 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0267 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.5526 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 33.33 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drivers of deforestation in Nigeria?
- Drivers of deforestation in Nigeria was 22,772 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 40,128 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,881 hectares in 2015.
- How does Nigeria rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Nigeria ranks 14th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 20 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.