Which has higher forest area, Sub-Saharan Africa or Sweden?

Sub-Saharan Africa, at 6.15 million sq. km against 279,340 sq. km in Sweden as of 2023.

What is the difference in forest area between Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?

5.87 million sq. km, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?

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.

Sub-Saharan Africa vs Sweden: Forest area (sq. km)

Sub-Saharan Africa

6.15 million sq. km

in 2023

Sweden

279,340 sq. km

in 2025

Sub-Saharan Africa rank

20th

Sweden rank

22nd

Forest area (sq. km) over time

Sub-Saharan Africa
Sweden

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 6.15 million sq. km against 279,340 sq. km in Sweden, a difference of 5.87 million sq. km.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 22.0 times Sweden's.

Across all 34 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th and Sweden ranks 22nd of 47 groups.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Sub-Saharan Africa	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1990s	6.83 million sq. km	281,080 sq. km	6.55 million sq. km	Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s	6.57 million sq. km	281,225 sq. km	6.29 million sq. km	Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s	6.44 million sq. km	279,987 sq. km	6.16 million sq. km	Sub-Saharan Africa
2020s	6.21 million sq. km	279,340 sq. km	5.93 million sq. km	Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, Sub-Saharan Africa or Sweden?: Sub-Saharan Africa, at 6.15 million sq. km against 279,340 sq. km in Sweden as of 2023.
What is the difference in forest area between Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?: 5.87 million sq. km, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden rank globally for forest area?: Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th and Sweden ranks 22nd of 47 groups.
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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Sub-Saharan Africa vs Sweden: 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/sub-saharan-africa/sweden/

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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.