Tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Tree cover loss was 81,946 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
81,946 hectares
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
42nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
179,524 hectares
in 2015
All-time low
31,292 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 81,946 hectares for tree cover loss in 2024.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea peaked at 179,524 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 31,292 hectares, in 2003.
Papua New Guinea ranks 42nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 35,241 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 53,438 hectares | +51.6% |
| 2003 | 31,292 hectares | -41.4% |
| 2004 | 57,373 hectares | +83.3% |
| 2005 | 38,324 hectares | -33.2% |
| 2006 | 55,549 hectares | +44.9% |
| 2007 | 48,259 hectares | -13.1% |
| 2008 | 70,014 hectares | +45.1% |
| 2009 | 48,182 hectares | -31.2% |
| 2010 | 67,502 hectares | +40.1% |
| 2011 | 51,741 hectares | -23.3% |
| 2012 | 70,866 hectares | +37.0% |
| 2013 | 55,697 hectares | -21.4% |
| 2014 | 103,978 hectares | +86.7% |
| 2015 | 179,524 hectares | +72.7% |
| 2016 | 176,801 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 116,520 hectares | -34.1% |
| 2018 | 117,197 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 94,484 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2020 | 77,952 hectares | -17.5% |
| 2021 | 76,117 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 141,532 hectares | +85.9% |
| 2023 | 83,572 hectares | -41.0% |
| 2024 | 81,946 hectares | -1.9% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 81,946 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5,729 hectares, 14.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 81,946 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39,449 hectares, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48,630 hectares | 31,292 hectares | 70,014 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 103,431 hectares | 51,741 hectares | 179,524 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 92,224 hectares | 76,117 hectares | 141,532 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6846 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5295 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2811 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea?
- Tree cover loss in Papua New Guinea was 81,946 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 179,524 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 31,292 hectares in 2003.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for tree cover loss?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 42nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.