Drivers of deforestation in Uganda
Uganda: Drivers of deforestation was 4,678 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Drivers of deforestation in Uganda, 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 Uganda is 4,678 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 21.7% on the previous year and up 314.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Uganda peaked at 4,678 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.85 hectares, in 2010.
That places Uganda 32nd out of 166 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Drivers of deforestation in Uganda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 105.66 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 55.18 hectares | -47.8% |
| 2003 | 300.63 hectares | +444.8% |
| 2004 | 561.98 hectares | +86.9% |
| 2005 | 749.26 hectares | +33.3% |
| 2006 | 846.38 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2007 | 756.04 hectares | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 552.19 hectares | -27.0% |
| 2009 | 56.91 hectares | -89.7% |
| 2010 | 48.85 hectares | -14.2% |
| 2011 | 231.81 hectares | +374.5% |
| 2012 | 749.36 hectares | +223.3% |
| 2013 | 1,130 hectares | +50.8% |
| 2014 | 1,115 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 962.24 hectares | -13.7% |
| 2016 | 1,291 hectares | +34.2% |
| 2017 | 3,310 hectares | +156.4% |
| 2018 | 2,605 hectares | -21.3% |
| 2019 | 3,001 hectares | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 4,145 hectares | +38.1% |
| 2021 | 3,929 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 3,844 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 4,678 hectares | +21.7% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 4,678 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 550.07 hectares, 8.5× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 4,678 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 6.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation in Uganda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +444.8% | 55.18 hectares | 300.63 hectares |
| 2011 | +374.5% | 48.85 hectares | 231.81 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 442.69 hectares | 55.18 hectares | 846.38 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 1,444 hectares | 48.85 hectares | 3,310 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,149 hectares | 3,844 hectares | 4,678 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More environment data for Uganda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -11.7 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -12.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.255 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.23 % 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 1.38 % 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 Uganda?
- Drivers of deforestation in Uganda was 4,678 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 4,678 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.85 hectares in 2010.
- How does Uganda rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Uganda ranks 32nd out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 314.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda 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.