Top facts about the Amazon

1. The Amazon rainforest covers an enormous 6.7 million square kilometres

Spanning 8 countries and one overseas territory in South America and representing an area twice the size of India – or roughly 28 times the side of the UK!

2. The Amazon is thought to be home to 10% of known species on earth

And incredibly, a new species of animal or plant is discovered in the Amazon every other day on average.

3. The Amazon is home to 47 million people, including more than 2 million indigenous people.

More than 400 different indigenous groups live in the Amazon, which is more than anywhere else on earth, and around 300 indigenous languages are spoken throughout the Amazon. 

4. It’s estimated that there could be nearly 400 billion trees standing in the Amazon

These trees influence rainfall cycles throughout South America by releasing 20 billion tonnes of water into the air every day. Remarkably, a single large tree can release over 1,000 litres of water in 24 hours – enough to fill 10 average-sized bathtubs. 

5. An estimated 150-200 billion tons of carbon are stored in the Amazon’s forests and soils.

This is absolutely vital in fighting the climate crisis and limiting the rise of global temperatures.

6. Despite its importance, every minute an area of Amazon rainforests roughly equivalent to 5 football pitches is cut down.

Shockingly, the first 9 months of 2022 saw the highest recorded deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon since 2016. The main causes of deforestation are cattle ranching and agriculture, the building of roads and other infrastructure, illegal logging, mining, and land grabbing and speculation.  

7. Current figures suggest approximately 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been lost already.

This is an area the size of France.

8. Science is pointing to the risk that the Amazon could reach an irreversible tipping point, triggered by climate change and deforestation.

This would mean it could no longer be able to sustain itself as a tropical rainforest.

Find out more about the risk of an Amazon tipping point in our Risking the Amazon report which shows that a third of the Amazon has already experienced at least one out of three key factors (reducing rainfall, increasing dry season length and accumulated deforestation of at least 20%) that could take us to a tipping point

The Amazon is so vast and diverse, there is so much more to discover. Read more about the importance of the Amazon, the threats it faces and the solution in our Living Amazon Report.