Forest area in Ghana
Ghana: Forest area was 4.82 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Ghana, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4.82 million hectares for forest area in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Ghana peaked at 7.45 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 4.82 million hectares, in 2011.
That places Ghana 26th out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Ghana, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.45 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 7.31 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 7.18 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 7.04 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 6.91 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 6.77 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 6.64 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 6.50 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 6.36 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 6.23 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 6.09 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 5.98 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 5.86 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 5.75 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 5.63 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 5.52 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 5.40 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 5.29 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 5.17 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 5.06 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 4.94 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 4.82 million hectares | -2.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4.82 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 97% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4.82 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 86% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.84 million hectares | 6.23 million hectares | 7.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.57 million hectares | 5.06 million hectares | 6.09 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.88 million hectares | 4.82 million hectares | 4.94 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Ghana?
- Forest area in Ghana was 4.82 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 7.45 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.82 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Ghana rank for forest area?
- Ghana ranks 26th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Forest area (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.