Square Kilometers of Land Being Degraded
CURRENT TOTAL
Live Counter Notable Facts
(Data shown in the table is for 2025. Counter shows current estimate)
Annual Degradation
Total Degraded
At Risk by 2050
Understanding Square Kilometers of Land Being Degraded
This counter tracks the ongoing degradation of Earth's land surface through desertification, soil erosion, and other forms of deterioration. Currently, an area half the size of the European Union - 4.18 million square kilometers - is degraded annually, with Africa and Asia most severely affected.
More than 75% of Earth's land area is already degraded, impacting food production, water resources, and the livelihoods of 3.2 billion people. Without dramatic intervention, over 90% of land could become degraded by 2050, threatening global food security and driving mass migration.
The causes of land degradation are complex, including overgrazing, deforestation, poor agricultural practices, and climate change. The Gobi Desert alone expands by 3,600 square kilometers annually, while globally we lose productive land at a rate equivalent to losing the entire country of Egypt every year.
Global Land Degradation Overview
- Land degradation affects one-quarter of the global land surface, with 3.6 billion hectares of drylands threatened by desertification, impacting food security for billions and costing $2-4.5 trillion annually in lost ecosystem services.
- The rate of degradation has accelerated 30-35 times above historical levels, driven by agricultural expansion, overgrazing, deforestation, and climate change, with 50% of sub-Saharan agricultural land having lost productivity.
- Restoration needs are massive - the world requires $1 billion daily investment between 2025-2030 to combat degradation, yet current spending is only $66 billion annually with just 6% from private sector sources.
- Success stories exist: China's Green Wall has reduced desert expansion, while farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger has restored 30,000 square kilometers, proving that degradation can be reversed with proper techniques and investment.
Land Degradation Terms
- Desertification: Land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas
- Soil Erosion: Loss of topsoil through wind or water
- Salinization: Salt accumulation making soil infertile
- Land Degradation Neutrality: No net loss of productive land
Degradation by Region
- Africa: 65% of agricultural land degraded
- Asia: 1.5 billion hectares affected
- Australia: 5 million hectares cleared since 1990
- Latin America: 14% of land degraded
- Europe: 11% affected by water erosion
Causes of Land Degradation
- Agricultural expansion: 70% of degradation
- Overgrazing: 35% in grasslands
- Deforestation: 30% of degraded area
- Water erosion: 56% of degraded land
- Wind erosion: 28% of degradation
Economic and Social Impacts
- Economic loss: $44 trillion at risk globally
- Food security: 45% yield reduction by 2050
- Migration: 700 million displaced by 2050
- Biodiversity: 1 million species threatened
- Water scarcity: 5 billion affected by 2050
Data Sources and References
Methodology and Data Collection
Land degradation data comes from satellite monitoring, national land surveys, and scientific assessments compiled by UNCCD and partner organizations, tracking changes in vegetation cover, soil quality, and productivity.
The counter calculates degradation at 132.5 square kilometers per hour based on annual degradation of 4.18 million square kilometers, representing the combined impacts of desertification, erosion, and other degradation processes globally.