Brazil's Amazon lost the least forest on record
Yearly clear-cut deforestation in Brazil's Legal Amazon, km², 1988–2026. 2026 is INPE's preliminary estimate.
On INPE's preliminary 2026 estimate, Brazil's Amazon lost less forest than in any year since counts began in 1988.
Clearing fell by two fifths in a single year, from 5,731 km² in 2025.
Clearing has fallen every year since its 2021 high of 13,038 km², the longest run of falls in the series.
the numbers
| Year | Brazil's Legal Amazon (km²) |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 21,050 |
| 1989 | 17,770 |
| 1990 | 13,730 |
| 1991 | 11,030 |
| 1992 | 13,786 |
| 1993 | 14,896 |
| 1994 | 14,896 |
| 1995 | 29,059 |
| 1996 | 18,161 |
| 1997 | 13,227 |
| 1998 | 17,383 |
| 1999 | 17,259 |
| 2000 | 18,226 |
| 2001 | 18,165 |
| 2002 | 21,650 |
| 2003 | 25,396 |
| 2004 | 27,772 |
| 2005 | 19,014 |
| 2006 | 14,286 |
| 2007 | 11,651 |
| 2008 | 12,911 |
| 2009 | 7,464 |
| 2010 | 7,000 |
| 2011 | 6,418 |
| 2012 | 4,571 |
| 2013 | 5,891 |
| 2014 | 5,012 |
| 2015 | 6,207 |
| 2016 | 7,893 |
| 2017 | 6,947 |
| 2018 | 7,536 |
| 2019 | 10,129 |
| 2020 | 10,851 |
| 2021 | 13,038 |
| 2022 | 11,594 |
| 2023 | 9,064 |
| 2024 | 6,518 |
| 2025 | 5,731 |
| 2026 | 3,335 |
source notes & method
PRODES measures clear-cut deforestation of primary forest in Brazil's Legal Amazon, mapped from satellite images over a monitoring year running roughly August to July (2026 = Aug 2025–Jul 2026). The 2026 value (3,335 km²) is INPE's preliminary estimate from 271 priority images of 516, presented by INPE/MMA on 16 Oct 2026 as the lowest of the whole series since 1988; the consolidated rate usually follows in the first half of the next year and can differ. 1988–2025 rates are from the same INPE presentation; 1993 and 1994 share one biennial average (14,896 km²). The -41.8% and the run of falls are progrss calculations from INPE's figures. Does not include degradation or fire in standing forest, which are measured separately.
Published 3 Nov 2026
what connects to this
one plate, every morning
The new world, explained in one chart, in your inbox at 7:00, your time. Free.
or follow via rss, the "rss" in progrss