Indonesia lost 296,000 hectares of primary forest in 2025, the fourth-largest loss of any tropical country, according to Global Forest Watch data1. That was 14% more than in 2024, although the rate is still well below the highs of the mid-2010s2.
Key points
- Indonesia had about 96 million hectares of forest in 2025, the eighth-largest forest area of any country3.
- Its peat soils hold an estimated 28 billion tonnes of carbon, about 30% more than all its forest biomass4.
- Forest loss peaked in 2016 and fell sharply after. Since 2021 it has moved up and down, and rose 14% in 20255132.
- Oil palm and pulpwood plantations directly replaced 39–42% of the old-growth forest lost from 2001 to 20195.
- All three orangutan species are listed as Critically Endangered101112.
How much forest and peat does Indonesia have?
Indonesia had about 96 million hectares of forest in 2025, of which 46.6 million hectares were primary forest3. The forests are spread across thousands of islands, from Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, to Sulawesi and Papua.
Beneath many lowland forests lies peat: waterlogged soil built from plant matter that never fully rotted. An analysis of national peat maps put Indonesia's peat carbon at a best estimate of 28.1 billion tonnes, within a range of 13.6 to 40.5 billion tonnes depending on the map. That is about 30% more carbon than the biomass of all Indonesian forests4. Drain the peat and that carbon starts to escape.
The long-run losses are vast. In its report to FAO, Indonesia recorded a net loss of 13.1 million hectares of primary forest between 1990 and 20253.
Is deforestation in Indonesia rising or falling?
After 2016 it fell sharply. A satellite study of old-growth forest found clearing peaked in 2016 at 0.90 million hectares, a figure swollen by the fires of late 2015. It then dropped below 0.34 million hectares a year in 2017, 2018 and 20195.
Since then the trend has been uneven. Global Forest Watch data show primary forest loss rising steadily from 2021 to 2023, then falling 11% in 202413 and rising 14% in 20252. Monitors use different definitions, so they disagree on the size of the problem. Compare figures only within the same source.
| Source | What is measured | Year | Hectares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Forestry | Net deforestation (gross 216,200 ha) | 2024 | 175,4006 |
| Auriga Nusantara | Deforestation, including secondary forest | 2024 | 261,5757 |
| Auriga Nusantara | Deforestation, including secondary forest1 | 2025 | 433,7517 |
| Global Forest Watch (University of Maryland data) | Primary forest loss | 2025 | 296,0001 |
The ministry's figure is net of replanting, and 92.8% of its gross loss was in secondary forest6. Auriga, an Indonesian environmental group, counted a 66% jump in 20257.
What is driving deforestation in Indonesia?
Oil palm and pulpwood
Indonesia is the world's largest palm oil producer. Between 2001 and 2019 the area under oil palm doubled to 16.24 million hectares, while the country lost 9.79 million hectares of old-growth forest, 11% of the total. About 32% of that lost forest, 3.09 million hectares, ended up as oil palm. Add plantations grown for pulp and paper, mostly acacia, and plantations directly account for 39–42% of the loss5. New oil palm planting peaked in 2009 and 2012 and declined after5. Read more on our palm oil page.
Mining and food estates
Nickel mining is clearing forest in Sulawesi and other regions2. The government's food estate program has opened new fronts in South Papua2. Auriga found 78,123 hectares cleared in 2025 inside forest land set aside for food, energy and water reserves, 18% of its national total7.
Fire and drained peat
Plantation canals drain peat swamps, and dry peat burns. In 2015, government figures show 2.6 million hectares burned between June and October. About a third of the burned area was peatland, and the haze was linked to more than 500,000 cases of acute respiratory infection8. For how these drivers compare worldwide, see the causes of deforestation.
Did the moratorium on new permits work?
In 2011 Indonesia suspended new permits to clear primary forest and peatland. In August 2019 the president made the suspension permanent. In 2019 it applied to about 66 million hectares marked on an indicative map9.
The freeze has gaps. Critics point to exemptions for national strategic and food projects, the exclusion of secondary forest, and a map revised every six months9. Still, WRI credits the moratorium, stronger fire prevention and company pledges for deforestation-free palm oil and pulp with helping to keep losses down2. The 2025 rise shows how quickly that can change when state-backed projects clear forest for food and energy27. Compare the policy story in the Amazon and the Congo Basin.
Orangutans and the wildlife of Borneo and Sumatra
Orangutans live in the wild only on Borneo, which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, and on Sumatra. In 2016 the IUCN moved the Bornean orangutan from Endangered to Critically Endangered, its highest risk category. It cited forests turned into oil palm, rubber and paper plantations, and animals killed by people10. The Sumatran orangutan is also listed as Critically Endangered11.
A third species, the Tapanuli orangutan of Sumatra, was described in 2017. IUCN calls it the rarest great ape, Critically Endangered, with an estimated population below 80012. These are the IUCN statements published in 2016 and 2019. Sumatra's forests are also home to tigers, elephants and rhinos.
Questions people ask
Why is there so much deforestation in Indonesia?
Is deforestation in Indonesia getting better or worse?
Is palm oil still causing deforestation in Indonesia?
Sources
- Mongabay (2026). Tropical forest loss falls in 2025, but world still off track on deforestation goals. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- World Resources Institute (2026). Tropical Rainforest Loss Slowed in 2025, but Fire is a Growing Threat to Forests Worldwide (Global Forest Review). Accessed 11 October 2026.
- FAO (2025). Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- Warren, M. et al. (2017). An appraisal of Indonesia's immense peat carbon stock using national peatland maps: uncertainties and potential losses from conversion. Carbon Balance and Management 12. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- Gaveau, D.L.A. et al. (2022). Slowing deforestation in Indonesia follows declining oil palm expansion and lower oil prices. PLOS ONE 17. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- Kompas (2025). Kemenhut: Deforestasi Indonesia Capai 175.000 Hektare Sepanjang 2024. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- Auriga Nusantara (2026). Status Deforestasi Indonesia 2025. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- World Bank (2016). The Cost of Fire: An Economic Analysis of Indonesia's 2015 Fire Crisis. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- Mongabay Indonesia (2019). Presiden Teken Inpres Setop Izin di Hutan Primer dan Gambut, Masih Ada Revisi Berkala. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- IUCN (2016). Whale sharks, winghead sharks and Bornean orangutans slide towards extinction. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- IUCN (2016). Four out of six great apes one step away from extinction. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- IUCN (2019). IUCN calls for a moratorium on projects impacting the Critically Endangered Tapanuli orangutan. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- World Resources Institute (2025). Global Forest Loss Shatters Records in 2024, Fueled by Massive Fires. Accessed 11 October 2026.