Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia
Malaysia: Tree cover loss by dominant driver was 4,931 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia, 2001–2024
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.
Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5,757 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 6,348 hectares | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 3,893 hectares | -38.7% |
| 2004 | 8,909 hectares | +128.8% |
| 2005 | 6,841 hectares | -23.2% |
| 2006 | 6,725 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 7,350 hectares | +9.3% |
| 2008 | 5,286 hectares | -28.1% |
| 2009 | 9,703 hectares | +83.5% |
| 2010 | 7,934 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2011 | 5,971 hectares | -24.7% |
| 2012 | 8,440 hectares | +41.3% |
| 2013 | 3,507 hectares | -58.4% |
| 2014 | 10,997 hectares | +213.6% |
| 2015 | 6,689 hectares | -39.2% |
| 2016 | 9,866 hectares | +47.5% |
| 2017 | 8,504 hectares | -13.8% |
| 2018 | 6,414 hectares | -24.6% |
| 2019 | 6,585 hectares | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 4,220 hectares | -35.9% |
| 2021 | 4,954 hectares | +17.4% |
| 2022 | 3,437 hectares | -30.6% |
| 2023 | 4,868 hectares | +41.7% |
| 2024 | 4,931 hectares | +1.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 4,931 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135.51 hectares, 36.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 4,931 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 106.67 hectares, 46.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
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
Tree cover loss due to the expansion and intensification of roads, settlements, urban areas, or other built infrastructure.