Tree cover loss in Nigeria

Nigeria: Tree cover loss was 105,592 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
105,592 hectares
Change on year
up 23.9%
World rank
39th
of 197 countries
All-time high
170,804 hectares
in 2017
All-time low
13,041 hectares
in 2005
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss in Nigeria, 2001–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k2001201220242001: 43.2k hectares2002: 32.2k hectares2003: 13.2k hectares2004: 14.4k hectares2005: 13.0k hectares2006: 26.0k hectares2007: 24.4k hectares2008: 27.3k hectares2009: 25.1k hectares2010: 32.6k hectares2011: 53.7k hectares2012: 34.8k hectares2013: 43.1k hectares2014: 68.3k hectares2015: 40.9k hectares2016: 72.1k hectares2017: 170.8k hectares2018: 119.7k hectares2019: 86.8k hectares2020: 99.1k hectares2021: 97.1k hectares2022: 106.1k hectares2023: 85.2k hectares2024: 105.6k hectares

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

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 105,592 hectares for tree cover loss in 2024.

That represents a change of up 23.9% on the previous year and up 54.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Nigeria peaked at 170,804 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 13,041 hectares, in 2005.

Nigeria ranks 39th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 24,329 hectares 13,041 hectares 43,177 hectares 9
2010s 72,278 hectares 32,579 hectares 170,804 hectares 10
2020s 98,615 hectares 85,234 hectares 106,100 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 36 Congo 114,287 hectares compare
  2. 37 Ghana 107,910 hectares compare
  3. 38 Guyana 107,173 hectares compare
  4. 40 Cambodia 93,417 hectares compare
  5. 41 Germany 89,432 hectares compare
  6. 42 Papua New Guinea 81,946 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss in Nigeria?
Tree cover loss in Nigeria was 105,592 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 Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 170,804 hectares in 2017.
What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 13,041 hectares in 2005.
How does Nigeria rank for tree cover loss?
Nigeria ranks 39th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria 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.