Tree cover loss in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Tree cover loss was 8,285 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tree cover loss in Costa Rica, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 8,285 hectares 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 hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3,286 hectares, 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 | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15,402 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 13,223 hectares | -14.2% |
| 2003 | 8,222 hectares | -37.8% |
| 2004 | 9,669 hectares | +17.6% |
| 2005 | 16,413 hectares | +69.7% |
| 2006 | 9,996 hectares | -39.1% |
| 2007 | 11,397 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2008 | 21,785 hectares | +91.1% |
| 2009 | 22,283 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 13,068 hectares | -41.4% |
| 2011 | 10,396 hectares | -20.4% |
| 2012 | 10,291 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 7,697 hectares | -25.2% |
| 2014 | 10,847 hectares | +40.9% |
| 2015 | 3,286 hectares | -69.7% |
| 2016 | 13,821 hectares | +320.6% |
| 2017 | 22,013 hectares | +59.3% |
| 2018 | 12,286 hectares | -44.2% |
| 2019 | 11,466 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 8,228 hectares | -28.2% |
| 2021 | 7,823 hectares | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 8,547 hectares | +9.2% |
| 2023 | 9,042 hectares | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 8,285 hectares | -8.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 8,285 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 7,323 hectares, 1.1× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 8,285 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5,347 hectares, 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 hectares | 13,821 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,265 hectares | 8,222 hectares | 22,283 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 11,517 hectares | 3,286 hectares | 22,013 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,385 hectares | 7,823 hectares | 9,042 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 84 Solomon Islands 11,050 hectares compare
- 85 Cuba 10,057 hectares compare
- 86 Guinea-Bissau 9,293 hectares compare
- 88 Equatorial Guinea 7,735 hectares compare
- 89 Slovakia 7,624 hectares compare
- 90 Croatia 7,415 hectares 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 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 Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 22,283 hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,286 hectares 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 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
Tree cover loss driven by all causes.