Canada vs United States: Forest area (sq. km)
Canada
3.69 million sq. km
in 2025
United States
3.09 million sq. km
in 2025
Canada rank
3rd
United States rank
4th
Forest area (sq. km) over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
Canada currently reports 3.69 million sq. km against 3.09 million sq. km in United States, a difference of 599,240 sq. km.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 3rd and United States ranks 4th of 214 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.61 million sq. km | 3.03 million sq. km | 576,260 sq. km | Canada |
| 2000s | 3.63 million sq. km | 3.06 million sq. km | 567,429 sq. km | Canada |
| 2010s | 3.67 million sq. km | 3.10 million sq. km | 578,855 sq. km | Canada |
| 2020s | 3.69 million sq. km | 3.09 million sq. km | 597,683 sq. km | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, Canada or United States?
- Canada, at 3.69 million sq. km against 3.09 million sq. km in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between Canada and United States?
- 599,240 sq. km, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for forest area?
- Canada ranks 3rd and United States ranks 4th of 214 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.