Ethiopia vs South Africa: Forest area (sq. km)
Ethiopia
267,471 sq. km
in 2025
South Africa
228,814 sq. km
in 2025
Ethiopia rank
24th
South Africa rank
27th
Forest area (sq. km) over time
- Ethiopia
- South Africa
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 267,471 sq. km against 228,814 sq. km in South Africa, a difference of 38,657 sq. km.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Ethiopia has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 27th of 214 countries.
Ethiopia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 281,006 sq. km | 203,420 sq. km | 77,587 sq. km | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 274,818 sq. km | 210,863 sq. km | 63,955 sq. km | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 268,709 sq. km | 219,620 sq. km | 49,089 sq. km | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 267,569 sq. km | 226,625 sq. km | 40,944 sq. km | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, Ethiopia or South Africa?
- Ethiopia, at 267,471 sq. km against 228,814 sq. km in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between Ethiopia and South Africa?
- 38,657 sq. km, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and South Africa?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2025.
- How do Ethiopia and South Africa rank globally for forest area?
- Ethiopia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 27th 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.