Australia vs China: Forest area
Australia
1.34 million sq. km
in 2023
China
2.26 million sq. km
in 2023
Australia rank
6th
China rank
5th
Forest area over time
- Australia
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 2.26 million sq. km against 1.34 million sq. km in Australia, a difference of 916,120 sq. km.
That makes China's figure about 1.7 times Australia's.
Across all 34 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 6th and China ranks 5th of 213 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.33 million sq. km | 1.66 million sq. km | 331,264 sq. km | China |
| 2000s | 1.31 million sq. km | 1.88 million sq. km | 568,315 sq. km | China |
| 2010s | 1.32 million sq. km | 2.09 million sq. km | 769,845 sq. km | China |
| 2020s | 1.34 million sq. km | 2.23 million sq. km | 887,925 sq. km | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, Australia or China?
- China, at 2.26 million sq. km against 1.34 million sq. km in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in forest area between Australia and China?
- 916,120 sq. km, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and China?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Australia and China rank globally for forest area?
- Australia ranks 6th and China ranks 5th of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Forest area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.