Australia – 662 kha/year

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Deforestation Rates

The world has a lot of forests, covering about 31% of all land, which is around 4.06 billion hectares. Here is the list of top 10 countries with the most deforestation :...

10. Peru – 165 kha/year

Peru loses around 1100 square miles of its forests due to deforestation every year. The deforestation condition in Peru is getting worse day by day. It is because of a so many reasons like small scale farming, mining, and road construction. Most of the cutting down of trees takes place in the illegal way. Specifically the deforestation happens for illegal logging....

9. Sudan – 174 kha/year

Sudan is suffering from a large scale of deforestation. It is happening because the rates of deforestation is rising rapidly every year. Cutting trees for farming and fuel is causing more deforestation in Sudan. This harms Sudan’s environment, leading to desert-like conditions and soil losing important nutrients because of erosion....

8. Mozambique – 219 kha/year

Mozambique cuts down a lot of trees because of poor farming practices and excessive logging. The country lost a large area of forest and it caused releasing around 93.7 million tons of CO2 into the air. This tree cutting causes problems like more landslides and increased greenhouse gas emissions for Mozambique....

7. Bolivia – 289 kha/year

Bolivia’s deforestation rate increased recent years. Bolivia lost about 0.6 million hectares of forest land. The main reason for deforestation in Bolivia is agriculture getting bigger. Every year, Bolivia’s deforestation rate gets higher, causing big environmental problems for the country....

6. Argentina – 301 kha/year

About 14% of Argentina was covered by forests. However, in recent times, it has been losing a significant amount of its forest cover due to deforestation. There are several reasons for the increasing rates of deforestation in the country, including changes in climate, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity. However, the most significant cause is agriculture, particularly the production of soybeans....

5. Zimbabwe – 309 kha/year

Every year, Zimbabwe loses a significant amount of forest. It is approximately 0.26 million hectares per yeaf. About 20% of this forest loss happens due to the expansion of the tobacco industry in the country. Tobacco farming is crucial for Zimbabwe’s economy. However, this deforestation also results in increased CO2 emissions, which negatively impacts the environment....

4. United Republic of Tanzania – 372 kha/year

United Republic of Tanzania cut down the trees majorly for farming which is about 80% of the total forest. In total, the country has cut down about 6.18 million hectares of forests. Other reasons for deforestation in Tanzania include making charcoal in harmful ways, trading wood illegally, etc....

3. Mexico – 441 kha/year

Every year, Mexico cuts down its forest about 0.12 million acres of land for farming. This means they remove trees and plants to make space for growing crops. But this tree cutting causes problems. It can lead to landslides and flooding when it rains heavily because the roots of trees help keep the soil in place. Also, when trees are cut down, they release carbon dioxide gas into the air. This gas contributes to climate change and makes the climate more warm. So, cutting down trees not only harms the local environment but also increases the possibility of global warming....

2. Australia – 662 kha/year

Australia is dealing with several issues because of tree cutting, including biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions. Although Australia has many rainforests and forests with lots of trees, companies there cut down many trees every year. Between 2015 and 2020, about 0.4 million hectares of forests were destroyed in Australia....

1. Brazil – 1,780 kha/year

Brazil has the highest deforestation rate in the world. This happens mainly because people clear land for farming and raising animals. Many forests in Brazil have been destroyed because of this. Although the rate of cutting down trees is slowing down each year, Brazil still holds the top spot for the most deforestation in the world....

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