Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia

Malaysia: Tree cover loss by dominant driver was 4,931 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4,931 hectares
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
4th
of 186 countries
All-time high
10,997 hectares
in 2014
All-time low
3,437 hectares
in 2022
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia, 2001–2024

4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k2001201220242001: 5.8k hectares2002: 6.3k hectares2003: 3.9k hectares2004: 8.9k hectares2005: 6.8k hectares2006: 6.7k hectares2007: 7.4k hectares2008: 5.3k hectares2009: 9.7k hectares2010: 7.9k hectares2011: 6.0k hectares2012: 8.4k hectares2013: 3.5k hectares2014: 11.0k hectares2015: 6.7k hectares2016: 9.9k hectares2017: 8.5k hectares2018: 6.4k hectares2019: 6.6k hectares2020: 4.2k hectares2021: 5.0k hectares2022: 3.4k hectares2023: 4.9k hectares2024: 4.9k hectares

Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 4,931 hectares for tree cover loss by dominant driver in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 55.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia peaked at 10,997 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3,437 hectares, in 2022.

That places Malaysia 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6,757 hectares 3,893 hectares 9,703 hectares 9
2010s 7,491 hectares 3,507 hectares 10,997 hectares 10
2020s 4,482 hectares 3,437 hectares 4,954 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 1 United States 49,343 hectares compare
  2. 2 China 36,528 hectares compare
  3. 3 Brazil 5,799 hectares compare
  4. 5 Canada 4,707 hectares compare
  5. 6 Russia 4,217 hectares compare
  6. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 3,294 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia?
Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia was 4,931 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest tree cover loss by dominant driver recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 10,997 hectares in 2014.
What is the lowest tree cover loss by dominant driver recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 3,437 hectares in 2022.
How does Malaysia rank for tree cover loss by dominant driver?
Malaysia ranks 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss by dominant driver rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 55.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss by dominant driver. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Tree cover loss by dominant driver
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 4,195 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Tree cover loss due to the expansion and intensification of roads, settlements, urban areas, or other built infrastructure.