Tree cover loss in Ireland

Ireland: Tree cover loss was 7,323 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
7,323 hectares
Change on year
up 6.9%
Rank
91st
of 197 regions
All-time high
11,454 hectares
in 2007
All-time low
2,232 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss in Ireland, 2001–2024

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k12.0k2001201220242001: 8.9k hectares2002: 5.1k hectares2003: 2.2k hectares2004: 6.7k hectares2005: 7.9k hectares2006: 5.1k hectares2007: 11.5k hectares2008: 6.8k hectares2009: 7.1k hectares2010: 3.7k hectares2011: 3.0k hectares2012: 5.7k hectares2013: 4.7k hectares2014: 5.7k hectares2015: 4.5k hectares2016: 9.4k hectares2017: 6.1k hectares2018: 8.4k hectares2019: 10.3k hectares2020: 6.2k hectares2021: 8.8k hectares2022: 6.7k hectares2023: 6.9k hectares2024: 7.3k hectares

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

Analysis

In 2024, tree cover loss in Ireland stood at 7,323 hectares.

That represents a change of up 6.9% on the previous year and up 28.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Ireland peaked at 11,454 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 2,232 hectares, in 2003.

That places Ireland 91st out of 197 regions with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6,798 hectares 2,232 hectares 11,454 hectares 9
2010s 6,154 hectares 3,004 hectares 10,315 hectares 10
2020s 7,174 hectares 6,195 hectares 8,761 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 88 Equatorial Guinea 7,735 hectares compare
  2. 89 Slovakia 7,624 hectares compare
  3. 90 Croatia 7,415 hectares compare
  4. 92 Belgium 6,066 hectares compare
  5. 93 Zimbabwe 5,821 hectares compare
  6. 94 Togo 5,729 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss in Ireland?
Tree cover loss in Ireland was 7,323 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 11,454 hectares in 2007.
What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 2,232 hectares in 2003.
How does Ireland rank for tree cover loss?
Ireland ranks 91st out of 197 regions with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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.