Global Forest Loss Fell Sharply in 2025 After Hitting Record High
Clearing of the world’s tropical forests, whether for farmland or by wildfires, declined by 36% last year, according to the Global Forest Watch initiative.
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Tropical forest loss declined significantly last year, falling 36% after reaching a record level in 2024. Still, the world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of rainforest — an area roughly the size of Denmark, or more than 11 soccer fields every minute.
New data from the University of Maryland, published through the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch, shows that the loss of primary — or mature and largely undisturbed — humid tropical forests slowed down in 2025. But it was still 46% higher than a decade earlier, and last year saw a relative lull in wildfires after an exceptionally bad fire year in 2024. Blazes are increasing in the tropics due to warmer temperatures and more severe droughts.