Which has higher forest area, Malaysia or Thailand?

Thailand, at 197,650 sq. km against 189,636 sq. km in Malaysia as of 2023.

What is the difference in forest area between Malaysia and Thailand?

8,014 sq. km, with Thailand ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?

34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.

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.

Malaysia vs Thailand: Forest area

Malaysia

189,636 sq. km

in 2023

Thailand

197,650 sq. km

in 2023

Malaysia rank

32nd

Thailand rank

31st

Forest area over time

Malaysia
Thailand

How they compare

Thailand currently reports 197,650 sq. km against 189,636 sq. km in Malaysia, a difference of 8,014 sq. km.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Malaysia ahead.

Malaysia ranks 32nd and Thailand ranks 31st of 214 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 1 and Thailand in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malaysia	Thailand	Difference	Ahead
1990s	202,013 sq. km	191,976 sq. km	10,036 sq. km	Malaysia
2000s	193,567 sq. km	194,818 sq. km	1,251 sq. km	Thailand
2010s	192,193 sq. km	200,254 sq. km	8,061 sq. km	Thailand
2020s	190,388 sq. km	198,190 sq. km	7,802 sq. km	Thailand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, Malaysia or Thailand?: Thailand, at 197,650 sq. km against 189,636 sq. km in Malaysia as of 2023.
What is the difference in forest area between Malaysia and Thailand?: 8,014 sq. km, with Thailand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Malaysia and Thailand rank globally for forest area?: Malaysia ranks 32nd and Thailand ranks 31st 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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Malaysia vs Thailand: Forest area. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/forest-area-sq-km/malaysia/thailand/

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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: 261 places, 8,639 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 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.