Global deforestation fell 15% in 2025, but the world remains far off track to meet the 2030 target of halting forest loss, according to a report released on Wednesday by Climate Focus. The assessment, compiled with data from over two dozen organizations, found that 7 million hectares of forest were cleared last year, down from 8.3 million hectares annually between 2018 and 2020 .
To meet the 2030 goal set at the 2021 Glasgow climate summit, annual deforestation would need to drop by 1 million hectares each year, the report stated. Instead, reductions stalled between 2021 and 2024, with 8 million hectares lost in 2024—far above the 5 million-hectare cap required for that year. The 2025 target was 4.2 million hectares, but actual loss reached 7 million .
Progress was uneven across regions. Deforestation in tropical Africa, particularly the Congo Basin, worsened to 2.4 million hectares, nearly matching Latin America’s 2.5 million hectares for the first time on record . Erin Matson, lead author of the report, noted that while the 15% decline in 2025 was welcome, it followed years of elevated losses, masking the scale of the challenge .
A separate analysis by Carbon Pulse confirmed the 15% reduction but emphasized that the current pace still falls short of the 2030 commitment . Forests absorb roughly one-third of human-caused CO2 emissions annually, underscoring the stakes of the shortfall.
