Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe, at 173,064 sq. km against 169,409 sq. km in South Africa as of 2023.

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

3,655 sq. km, with Zimbabwe ahead.

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

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.

South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Forest area

South Africa

169,409 sq. km

in 2023

Zimbabwe

173,064 sq. km

in 2023

South Africa rank

39th

Zimbabwe rank

38th

Forest area over time

South Africa
Zimbabwe

How they compare

Zimbabwe currently reports 173,064 sq. km against 169,409 sq. km in South Africa, a difference of 3,655 sq. km.

Across all 34 years both countries report, Zimbabwe has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 39th and Zimbabwe ranks 38th of 213 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	Zimbabwe	Difference	Ahead
1990s	179,783 sq. km	186,194 sq. km	6,411 sq. km	Zimbabwe
2000s	176,143 sq. km	181,587 sq. km	5,444 sq. km	Zimbabwe
2010s	172,503 sq. km	176,980 sq. km	4,477 sq. km	Zimbabwe
2020s	169,955 sq. km	173,755 sq. km	3,800 sq. km	Zimbabwe

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Zimbabwe?: Zimbabwe, at 173,064 sq. km against 169,409 sq. km in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in forest area between South Africa and Zimbabwe?: 3,655 sq. km, with Zimbabwe ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for forest area?: South Africa ranks 39th and Zimbabwe ranks 38th of 213 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 Zimbabwe: Forest area. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/forest-area-sq-km/south-africa/zimbabwe/

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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: 20 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.