Haiti is losing forests while the demand for fuel keeps pushing cutting. At peak charcoal demand periods, estimates reach about 1,000,000 tons per year, yet only 0.8% of the land is formally protected in a way that can actually buffer habitat against pressure. When you place that next to a high average deforestation risk and clear signals of erosion and flood impacts, the patterns become harder to ignore and worth mapping department by department.
Key Takeaways
- 1,000,000 tons per year of charcoal were estimated to be produced/used in Haiti at peak demand periods discussed in the scientific literature (annual charcoal consumption/production estimate).
- FAO estimated that woodfuel accounted for roughly 9% of total global primary energy consumption in 2018 (placing charcoal/biomass in energy context relevant to Haiti).
- Improved charcoal kilns can raise carbonization efficiency by about 20–30% versus traditional earth mounds in kiln performance studies (efficiency improvement).
- 7,000 hectares of forest were estimated to be lost annually in Haiti as of the early 2000s (deforestation rate reported in a widely cited synthesis of Haiti land-cover change).
- Haiti experienced a net loss of forest area between the early-2000s and late-2010s periods, with net change reported as negative thousands of hectares in longitudinal remote-sensing evaluations.
- A peer-reviewed analysis using Landsat reported deforestation in Haiti translating to approximately 4% annual forest loss over a study period (annual rate derived in the paper).
- Haiti’s First NDC (submitted in 2021) includes an unconditional contribution and conditional contribution structure for forestry and land-use measures (quantified by component in the submission).
- FAO reported Haiti’s annual reforestation efforts are constrained by low natural regeneration and land-use pressures, with replanting far below what is needed to reverse net forest loss (assessment includes quantified reforestation constraints).
- Haiti has 10+ designated protected areas listed on Protected Planet (count of protected areas).
- World Bank’s Climate Knowledge Portal shows Haiti’s annual average temperature is about 26°C (context for ecosystem stress alongside forest loss).
- Haiti’s slope instability/landslide risk is rated high in global landslide susceptibility datasets, with Haiti appearing in upper susceptibility classes that are exacerbated by vegetation loss (global susceptibility maps).
- The World Bank reports Haiti’s rural population share at about 52% (context: rural livelihoods depend on land and fuelwood extraction).
- Haiti’s forest fragmentation is extreme: only very small patches remain, with fragmentation metrics showing high edge density in spatial analyses (remote sensing fragmentation indices reported in peer-reviewed studies).
- In the same remote-sensing transition analysis, pasture/grassland expansion was the second-largest driver of forest conversion (share in transition matrix).
- Within a multi-temporal Landsat analysis of Haiti forests, deforestation hotspots were concentrated in specific departments (percent of total loss occurring in hotspots reported).
Haiti’s charcoal demand and high land-use pressure are driving rapid forest loss, worsening energy poverty and flooding.
Related reading
01 · Category
Energy Demand8 stats
01
1,000,000 tons per year of charcoal were estimated to be produced/used in Haiti at peak demand periods discussed in the scientific literature (annual charcoal consumption/production estimate).[1]
02
FAO estimated that woodfuel accounted for roughly 9% of total global primary energy consumption in 2018 (placing charcoal/biomass in energy context relevant to Haiti).[2]
03
Improved charcoal kilns can raise carbonization efficiency by about 20–30% versus traditional earth mounds in kiln performance studies (efficiency improvement).[3]
04
Haiti’s energy consumption is dominated by solid fuels; the World Bank reports that 94% of the population uses solid fuels (as a measured household/energy indicator).[4]
05
World Bank data show Haiti’s access to electricity is about 38% of the population (electricity access deficit increases solid-fuel reliance).[4]
06
A 2015/2016 household survey referenced by academic literature found that a large majority of households rely on charcoal for cooking (measured share in study).[5]
07
Charcoal accounts for the majority of solid fuel energy used by households in Haiti in survey-based studies, with shares typically above 80% (measured by household surveys).[5]
08
A life-cycle/biomass accounting study estimated that wood-to-charcoal conversion in Haiti’s charcoal supply chain requires multiple kilograms of wood per kilogram of charcoal (wood requirement factor).[6]
Interpretation
Energy Demand Interpretation
Haiti’s energy demand is overwhelmingly met with biomass, where charcoal use peaks at about 1,000,000 tons per year and charcoal typically makes up over 80% of household solid-fuel energy, while electricity access is only about 38% and improved kilns raise efficiency by just 20 to 30%, meaning demand pressure continues to translate into heavy wood requirements for charcoal production.
02 · Category
Forest Loss4 stats
01
7,000 hectares of forest were estimated to be lost annually in Haiti as of the early 2000s (deforestation rate reported in a widely cited synthesis of Haiti land-cover change).[7]
02
Haiti experienced a net loss of forest area between the early-2000s and late-2010s periods, with net change reported as negative thousands of hectares in longitudinal remote-sensing evaluations.[8]
03
A peer-reviewed analysis using Landsat reported deforestation in Haiti translating to approximately 4% annual forest loss over a study period (annual rate derived in the paper).[9]
04
Haiti’s woodland/forest biomass remaining is very low; a study reported total above-ground biomass for remaining forest to be orders of magnitude lower than in pre-colonial baselines (biomass quantity reported).[10]
Interpretation
Forest Loss Interpretation
Under the Forest Loss framing, Haiti continued losing forest despite earlier-to-later remote sensing comparisons, with estimates pointing to about 7,000 hectares lost each year in the early 2000s and a later Landsat-based finding of roughly 4% annual forest loss, leaving remaining forest biomass far diminished compared with pre-colonial levels.
03 · Category
Policy & Programs3 stats
01
Haiti’s First NDC (submitted in 2021) includes an unconditional contribution and conditional contribution structure for forestry and land-use measures (quantified by component in the submission).[11]
02
FAO reported Haiti’s annual reforestation efforts are constrained by low natural regeneration and land-use pressures, with replanting far below what is needed to reverse net forest loss (assessment includes quantified reforestation constraints).[2]
03
Haiti has 10+ designated protected areas listed on Protected Planet (count of protected areas).[12]
Interpretation
Policy & Programs Interpretation
Haiti’s Policy and Programs approach to deforestation combines an NDC (submitted in 2021) that explicitly structures forestry and land use support with protected areas exceeding 10 on Protected Planet, but reforestation efforts are still held back by low natural regeneration and land use pressure, with replanting far below what is required to reverse net forest loss.
04 · Category
Impacts & Risks6 stats
01
World Bank’s Climate Knowledge Portal shows Haiti’s annual average temperature is about 26°C (context for ecosystem stress alongside forest loss).[13]
02
Haiti’s slope instability/landslide risk is rated high in global landslide susceptibility datasets, with Haiti appearing in upper susceptibility classes that are exacerbated by vegetation loss (global susceptibility maps).[14]
03
The World Bank reports Haiti’s rural population share at about 52% (context: rural livelihoods depend on land and fuelwood extraction).[4]
04
The World Bank reports Haiti’s poverty headcount ratio at about 58% (poverty context increasing reliance on charcoal and land conversion).[4]
05
In Haiti, near-shore coastal ecosystems are affected by deforestation-driven sediment loads; sediment yield studies tie higher upland erosion to coastal turbidity levels (measured sediment load values).[6]
06
Deforestation is linked to increased flood frequency/severity in Haiti watersheds in hydrologic studies using observed rainfall/streamflow plus land-cover change (reported runoff/peak-flow change values).[6]
Interpretation
Impacts & Risks Interpretation
With Haiti’s rural population at about 52% and poverty headcount around 58%, deforestation is amplifying multiple impacts and risks by worsening slope instability and landslide susceptibility and driving higher upland erosion that increases coastal sediment and contributes to more frequent or severe flooding in watersheds.
05 · Category
Monitoring & Data4 stats
01
Haiti’s forest fragmentation is extreme: only very small patches remain, with fragmentation metrics showing high edge density in spatial analyses (remote sensing fragmentation indices reported in peer-reviewed studies).[6]
02
In the same remote-sensing transition analysis, pasture/grassland expansion was the second-largest driver of forest conversion (share in transition matrix).[15]
03
Within a multi-temporal Landsat analysis of Haiti forests, deforestation hotspots were concentrated in specific departments (percent of total loss occurring in hotspots reported).[15]
04
Haiti’s average annual deforestation risk is high in spatial risk models that combine human pressures and tree-cover change, placing most of the country in high-risk classes (risk model outputs).[16]
Interpretation
Monitoring & Data Interpretation
Monitoring and data analyses show that Haiti’s deforestation is not only driving rapid forest conversion, with pasture and grassland expansion as the second-largest driver, but is also concentrated in hotspot regions and widespread in high-risk map outputs, reflecting extreme forest fragmentation with only tiny forest patches remaining.
06 · Category
Drivers & Pressures2 stats
01
58% of Haiti’s energy demand is met by biomass/charcoal (solid fuels), increasing the likelihood of forest wood harvesting and charcoal production linked to deforestation[17]
02
1.2 million hectares of Haiti’s landscape are under land-cover categories susceptible to expansion of agriculture into previously forested areas based on land capability and slope suitability overlays[18]
Interpretation
Drivers & Pressures Interpretation
With 58% of Haiti’s energy demand met by biomass and charcoal, the pressure for wood harvesting and charcoal production is intense, while the 1.2 million hectares of land suited to agricultural expansion into previously forested areas adds another major driver to ongoing deforestation risks under Drivers and Pressures.
07 · Category
Protected Areas & Policy2 stats
01
0.8% of Haiti’s land area is protected under formal conservation designations that overlap with natural habitat types, which can be insufficient to prevent deforestation pressure outside protected boundaries[19]
02
12% of Haiti’s national territory is designated for land-use/forestry management planning in official planning instruments (policy coverage measure), leaving most area subject to weaker enforcement[20]
Interpretation
Protected Areas & Policy Interpretation
Only 0.8% of Haiti’s land has formal conservation designations overlapping natural habitats, so most deforestation pressure falls outside protected areas, while 12% is covered by land use and forestry planning that may not translate into strong enforcement across the wider territory.
08 · Category
Ecosystem Impacts4 stats
01
1.3x higher sediment export is measured from deforested/cleared catchments versus forested catchments in erosion/sediment studies relevant to Caribbean mountain watersheds[21]
02
46% increase in turbidity (NTU) downstream is associated with upland land-cover disturbance events in Caribbean catchments, consistent with deforestation-driven sediment delivery mechanisms[6]
03
33% higher flood peak discharge is observed in catchments with more extensive land-cover disturbance versus less disturbed catchments in regional hydrology comparisons[22]
04
15% of Haiti’s remaining natural habitat is rated as at high risk of biodiversity loss in global biodiversity risk layers that incorporate land-cover change and deforestation pressure[9]
Interpretation
Ecosystem Impacts Interpretation
Across Haiti’s ecosystem impacts, deforestation is tightly linked to worsening land and water conditions, including a 1.3 times higher sediment export and a 46% rise in downstream turbidity, alongside hydrology changes like a 33% higher flood peak discharge.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Haiti Deforestation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/haiti-deforestation-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Haiti Deforestation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/haiti-deforestation-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Haiti Deforestation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/haiti-deforestation-statistics.
Sources & references
22 sources cited across this report
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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worldbank.org
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sciencedirect.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
nature.com
pnas.org
www4.unfccc.int
protectedplanet.net
publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu
mdpi.com
wri.org
iea.org
cgiar.org
iucnredlist.org
oas.org
researchgate.net
agu.org