Tree cover loss in Malawi

Malawi: Tree cover loss was 17,078 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17,078 hectares
Change on year
down 25.7%
World rank
73rd
of 197 countries
All-time high
22,972 hectares
in 2023
All-time low
2,403 hectares
in 2001
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss in Malawi, 2001–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k2001201220242001: 2.4k hectares2002: 4.2k hectares2003: 7.0k hectares2004: 5.7k hectares2005: 9.3k hectares2006: 5.5k hectares2007: 7.4k hectares2008: 9.7k hectares2009: 4.0k hectares2010: 4.0k hectares2011: 8.2k hectares2012: 12.1k hectares2013: 10.4k hectares2014: 18.5k hectares2015: 10.8k hectares2016: 13.5k hectares2017: 15.3k hectares2018: 15.5k hectares2019: 12.1k hectares2020: 16.1k hectares2021: 16.6k hectares2022: 14.9k hectares2023: 23.0k hectares2024: 17.1k hectares

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for tree cover loss in Malawi is 17,078 hectares, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 25.7% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Malawi peaked at 22,972 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,403 hectares, in 2001.

That places Malawi 73rd out of 197 countries 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 6,135 hectares 2,403 hectares 9,672 hectares 9
2010s 12,047 hectares 3,952 hectares 18,518 hectares 10
2020s 17,510 hectares 14,873 hectares 22,972 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 70 Panama 21,537 hectares compare
  2. 71 Romania 19,984 hectares compare
  3. 72 Czechia 19,556 hectares compare
  4. 74 Bangladesh 15,911 hectares compare
  5. 75 South Korea 15,595 hectares compare
  6. 76 Kenya 14,057 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss in Malawi?
Tree cover loss in Malawi was 17,078 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 Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 22,972 hectares in 2023.
What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 2,403 hectares in 2001.
How does Malawi rank for tree cover loss?
Malawi ranks 73rd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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.