Tree cover loss in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Tree cover loss was 8,285 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tree cover loss in Costa Rica, 2001–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 8,285 for tree cover loss in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Costa Rica peaked at 22,283 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3,286, in 2015.
That places Costa Rica 87th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Tree cover loss in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15,402 | — |
| 2002 | 13,223 | -14.2% |
| 2003 | 8,222 | -37.8% |
| 2004 | 9,669 | +17.6% |
| 2005 | 16,413 | +69.7% |
| 2006 | 9,996 | -39.1% |
| 2007 | 11,397 | +14.0% |
| 2008 | 21,785 | +91.1% |
| 2009 | 22,283 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 13,068 | -41.4% |
| 2011 | 10,396 | -20.4% |
| 2012 | 10,291 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 7,697 | -25.2% |
| 2014 | 10,847 | +40.9% |
| 2015 | 3,286 | -69.7% |
| 2016 | 13,821 | +320.6% |
| 2017 | 22,013 | +59.3% |
| 2018 | 12,286 | -44.2% |
| 2019 | 11,466 | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 8,228 | -28.2% |
| 2021 | 7,823 | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 8,547 | +9.2% |
| 2023 | 9,042 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 8,285 | -8.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 8,285 is above the median for high income countries, which is 7,323, 1.1× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 8,285 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5,347, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tree cover loss in Costa Rica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +320.6% | 3,286 | 13,821 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,265 | 8,222 | 22,283 | 9 |
| 2010s | 11,517 | 3,286 | 22,013 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,385 | 7,823 | 9,042 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 84 Solomon Islands 11,050 compare
- 85 Cuba 10,057 compare
- 86 Guinea-Bissau 9,293 compare
- 88 Equatorial Guinea 7,735 compare
- 89 Slovakia 7,624 compare
- 90 Croatia 7,415 compare
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in Costa Rica?
- Tree cover loss in Costa Rica was 8,285 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 22,283 in 2009.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,286 in 2015.
- How does Costa Rica rank for tree cover loss?
- Costa Rica ranks 87th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from 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).