World Resources Institute – How much forest was lost in 2023? The Forest Pulse draws on the most recent data and analysis to reveal the latest trends in global forest loss and deforestation. Tropical Forest Loss Drops Steeply in Brazil and Colombia, but High Rates Persist Overall  – Between 2022 and 2023, Brazil and Colombia experienced a remarkable 36% and 49% decrease in primary forest loss, respectively. Yet despite these dramatic reductions, the rate of tropical primary forest loss in 2023 remained stubbornly consistent with recent years, according to new data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD lab and available on WRI’s Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform.

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As some countries show political will to reduce forest loss and others do not, the frontiers of forest loss are shifting: the notable reductions in Brazil and Colombia were counteracted by sharp increases in forest loss in Bolivia, Laos and Nicaragua, and more modest increases in other countries. Total tropical primary forest loss in 2023 totaled 3.7 million hectares, the equivalent of losing almost 10 football (soccer) fields of forest per minute. While this represents a 9% decrease from 2022, the rate in 2023 was nearly identical to that of 2019 and 2021. All this forest loss produced 2.4 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, equivalent to almost half of the annual fossil fuel emissions of the United States.”