Skip to content

World and society ยท ranked by Deforestation

Countries losing the most forest to deforestation each year

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-10-29
Number oneBrazil3,256.05 thousand hectares per year
Ranking by Deforestation
#NameDeforestationChange
1
Brazil
3,256.05 thousand hectares per yearnew
2588 thousand hectares per yearnew
3510.44 thousand hectares per yearnew
4469 thousand hectares per yearnew
5447.46 thousand hectares per yearnew
6283.5 thousand hectares per yearnew
7274 thousand hectares per yearnew
8267.03 thousand hectares per yearnew
9264 thousand hectares per yearnew
10217.62 thousand hectares per yearnew
Show positions 11โ€“50
11195.3 thousand hectares per yearnew
12165.82 thousand hectares per yearnew
13135.09 thousand hectares per yearnew
14133.42 thousand hectares per yearnew
15128.21 thousand hectares per yearnew
16127.91 thousand hectares per yearnew
17118.96 thousand hectares per yearnew
18115.09 thousand hectares per yearnew
19108.75 thousand hectares per yearnew
2092.34 thousand hectares per yearnew
2189.74 thousand hectares per yearnew
2289.74 thousand hectares per yearnew
2376.75 thousand hectares per yearnew
2470.86 thousand hectares per yearnew
2568 thousand hectares per yearnew
2661.1 thousand hectares per yearnew
2760.11 thousand hectares per yearnew
2856.16 thousand hectares per yearnew
2953 thousand hectares per yearnew
3050.52 thousand hectares per yearnew
3146.52 thousand hectares per yearnew
3242 thousand hectares per yearnew
3338.19 thousand hectares per yearnew
3437.94 thousand hectares per yearnew
3536.39 thousand hectares per yearnew
3633.53 thousand hectares per yearnew
3728.87 thousand hectares per yearnew
3824.62 thousand hectares per yearnew
3922.7 thousand hectares per yearnew
4021.9 thousand hectares per yearnew
4121.45 thousand hectares per yearnew
4219.92 thousand hectares per yearnew
4312.88 thousand hectares per yearnew
4411.03 thousand hectares per yearnew
4511.01 thousand hectares per yearnew
4610.72 thousand hectares per yearnew
4710.19 thousand hectares per yearnew
4810.1 thousand hectares per yearnew
498.67 thousand hectares per yearnew
508.48 thousand hectares per yearnew

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries losing the most forest to deforestation each year, explained

Countries losing the most forest to deforestation each year is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Deforestation, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

Brazil currently holds #1 with 3,256.05 thousand hectares per year. India is second with 588 thousand hectares per year, which puts the leader 5.5 times ahead. Angola completes the top three with 510.44 thousand hectares per year. Together the top three account for about 66% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: Deforestation. Our World in Data chart "annual-deforestation"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries losing the most forest to deforestation each year?
Brazil is #1 with 3,256.05 thousand hectares per year, as of 2026-10-29. India is #2.
How is Countries losing the most forest to deforestation each year ranked?
By Deforestation. Deforestation. Our World in Data chart "annual-deforestation"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-10-29.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.