What has driven deforestation in the 21st century?

Over the last two decades, the world has cut down forests at a rate of roughly one Costa Rica per year.1

The largest driver of deforestation has been the expansion of agriculture. This has been true for millennia, and it remains the case today. But which products, in particular, have been responsible?

This data focuses on commodity-driven deforestation for agriculture and forestry, which accounts for more than 90% of tropical deforestation.

A recent study, published in Nature Food by Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson, answered this question.2

In the chart below, you can see how much deforestation has been caused by different agricultural commodities. This is shown as the annual average between 2001 and 2023.