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.
Drivers of deforestation in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18,621 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 14,098 hectares | -24.3% |
| 2003 | 15,191 hectares | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 15,077 hectares | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 14,085 hectares | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 21,578 hectares | +53.2% |
| 2008 | 24,122 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2009 | 23,076 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 28,842 hectares | +25.0% |
| 2011 | 39,464 hectares | +36.8% |
| 2012 | 32,092 hectares | -18.7% |
| 2013 | 33,411 hectares | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 35,994 hectares | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 5,881 hectares | -83.7% |
| 2018 | 17,954 hectares | +205.3% |
| 2019 | 40,128 hectares | +123.5% |
| 2020 | 38,078 hectares | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 20,321 hectares | -46.6% |
| 2022 | 23,880 hectares | +17.5% |
| 2023 | 22,772 hectares | -4.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 22,772 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 225.28 hectares, 101.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 22,772 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 30.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +205.3% | 5,881 hectares | 17,954 hectares |
| 2019 | +123.5% | 17,954 hectares | 40,128 hectares |
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.78 % 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 0.4617 % 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 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.