Which has higher forest area, Finland or South Africa?

South Africa, at 228,814 sq. km against 225,430 sq. km in Finland as of 2025.

What is the difference in forest area between Finland and South Africa?

3,384 sq. km, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and South Africa?

36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.

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.

Finland vs South Africa: Forest area (sq. km)

Finland

225,430 sq. km

in 2025

South Africa

228,814 sq. km

in 2025

Finland rank

29th

South Africa rank

27th

Forest area (sq. km) over time

Finland
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 228,814 sq. km against 225,430 sq. km in Finland, a difference of 3,384 sq. km.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Finland ahead.

Finland ranks 29th and South Africa ranks 27th of 214 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Finland	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1990s	221,320 sq. km	202,106 sq. km	19,214 sq. km	Finland
2000s	223,540 sq. km	210,863 sq. km	12,677 sq. km	Finland
2010s	223,857 sq. km	219,620 sq. km	4,237 sq. km	Finland
2020s	225,430 sq. km	226,625 sq. km	1,195 sq. km	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, Finland or South Africa?: South Africa, at 228,814 sq. km against 225,430 sq. km in Finland as of 2025.
What is the difference in forest area between Finland and South Africa?: 3,384 sq. km, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and South Africa?: 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
How do Finland and South Africa rank globally for forest area?: Finland ranks 29th 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.

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Finland vs South Africa: Forest area. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/forest-area-sq-km/finland/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Forest area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 262 places, 9,089 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed: 15 October 2026

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.