Japan vs South Africa: Forest area (sq. km)
Japan
249,080 sq. km
in 2025
South Africa
228,814 sq. km
in 2025
Japan rank
25th
South Africa rank
27th
Forest area (sq. km) over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 249,080 sq. km against 228,814 sq. km in South Africa, a difference of 20,266 sq. km.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 27th of 214 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 249,167 sq. km | 202,106 sq. km | 47,061 sq. km | Japan |
| 2000s | 249,165 sq. km | 210,863 sq. km | 38,302 sq. km | Japan |
| 2010s | 249,456 sq. km | 219,620 sq. km | 29,836 sq. km | Japan |
| 2020s | 249,135 sq. km | 226,625 sq. km | 22,510 sq. km | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 249,080 sq. km against 228,814 sq. km in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between Japan and South Africa?
- 20,266 sq. km, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for forest area?
- Japan ranks 25th 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.