Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Turkey?

South Africa, at 228,814 sq. km against 228,058 sq. km in Turkey as of 2025.

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

756 sq. km, with South Africa ahead.

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

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.

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

South Africa

228,814 sq. km

in 2025

Turkey

228,058 sq. km

in 2025

South Africa rank

27th

Turkey rank

28th

Forest area (sq. km) over time

South Africa
Turkey

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 228,814 sq. km against 228,058 sq. km in Turkey, a difference of 756 sq. km.

Across all 36 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 27th and Turkey ranks 28th of 214 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	Turkey	Difference	Ahead
1990s	202,106 sq. km	199,477 sq. km	2,630 sq. km	South Africa
2000s	210,863 sq. km	205,690 sq. km	5,173 sq. km	South Africa
2010s	219,620 sq. km	215,842 sq. km	3,778 sq. km	South Africa
2020s	226,625 sq. km	225,131 sq. km	1,494 sq. km	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Turkey?: South Africa, at 228,814 sq. km against 228,058 sq. km in Turkey as of 2025.
What is the difference in forest area between South Africa and Turkey?: 756 sq. km, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?: 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
How do South Africa and Turkey rank globally for forest area?: South Africa ranks 27th and Turkey ranks 28th 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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South Africa vs Turkey: 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/south-africa/turkiye/

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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.