Tree cover loss in China

China: Tree cover loss was 673,569 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
673,569 hectares
Change on year
up 11.9%
World rank
8th
of 197 countries
All-time high
731,528 hectares
in 2008
All-time low
223,242 hectares
in 2001
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss in China, 2001–2024

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2001201220242001: 223.2k hectares2002: 242.3k hectares2003: 258.1k hectares2004: 494.8k hectares2005: 378.4k hectares2006: 569.5k hectares2007: 646.8k hectares2008: 731.5k hectares2009: 594.1k hectares2010: 621.8k hectares2011: 593.3k hectares2012: 595.9k hectares2013: 437.0k hectares2014: 528.2k hectares2015: 488.8k hectares2016: 716.8k hectares2017: 642.2k hectares2018: 568.3k hectares2019: 495.3k hectares2020: 420.5k hectares2021: 534.6k hectares2022: 609.9k hectares2023: 601.9k hectares2024: 673.6k hectares

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

Analysis

In 2024, tree cover loss in China stood at 673,569 hectares.

The figure is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 27.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss in China peaked at 731,528 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 223,242 hectares, in 2001.

China ranks 8th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 459,864 hectares 223,242 hectares 731,528 hectares 9
2010s 568,749 hectares 436,964 hectares 716,790 hectares 10
2020s 568,083 hectares 420,536 hectares 673,569 hectares 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 5 United States 1.59 million hectares compare
  2. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 1.38 million hectares compare
  3. 7 Indonesia 1.12 million hectares compare
  4. 9 Laos 351,069 hectares compare
  5. 10 Mexico 330,263 hectares compare
  6. 11 Sweden 315,303 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss in China?
Tree cover loss in China was 673,569 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 731,528 hectares in 2008.
What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 223,242 hectares in 2001.
How does China rank for tree cover loss?
China ranks 8th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China 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. 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
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
197 places, 4,728 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Tree cover loss driven by all causes.