Global Glacier Loss in 2025: Sixth-Worst Year on Record

In 2025, glaciers worldwide lost approximately 408 gigatonnes of ice, contributing roughly 1.1 millimeters to global sea-level rise. This marks the sixth-largest annual ice loss since global monitoring began in 1975, according to a study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.

The research, involving the World Glacier Monitoring Service, reveals a stark pattern: six of the most extreme annual loss years have occurred within the past seven years.

Key Annual Findings

• 408 gigatonnes of ice lost globally in 2025.
• 1.1 millimeters added to global sea levels from this loss.
• Sixth-worst year for glacier mass loss since records began in 1975.
• Six of the most extreme loss years have occurred in the past seven years.

Long-Term Trends and Acceleration

The study highlights a clear and accelerating trend over the past half-century.

Since 1975, cumulative global glacier ice loss totals nearly 9,600 gigatonnes, raising global sea levels by approximately 26 millimeters.

Almost 80 percent of the total ice loss since 1975 has occurred since the year 2000. Furthermore, the rate of annual ice loss in the past decade is reported to be nearly four times higher than the rate observed in the late 20th century.

Regional Data for 2025

The 2025 losses were geographically widespread.

• All 19 major glacier regions monitored lost mass.
• This marks the fourth consecutive year of mass loss across all regions.
• The largest regional ice losses were recorded in Western North America and Central Europe.

Study Authorship and Statements

The study was co-authored by Levan Tielidze, a research fellow at Monash University in Australia. In statements provided with the research, Tielidze noted the concentration of extreme loss years in the recent period highlights how rapidly the glacier system is changing.

"Every fraction of a degree matters; reducing warming will directly reduce future glacier loss and its impacts."