Forest area in Kenya
Kenya: Forest area was 3.46 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Kenya, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, forest area in Kenya stood at 3.46 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Kenya peaked at 3.71 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.46 million hectares, in 2011.
Kenya ranks 29th of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.71 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 3.70 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.68 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 3.67 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 3.66 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 3.65 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 3.63 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.62 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 3.61 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 3.59 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.58 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.57 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 3.56 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 3.55 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 3.53 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.52 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 3.51 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 3.50 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 3.49 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.48 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 3.47 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 3.46 million hectares | -0.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 3.46 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 69% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 3.46 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 62% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.65 million hectares | 3.59 million hectares | 3.71 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.53 million hectares | 3.48 million hectares | 3.58 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.46 million hectares | 3.46 million hectares | 3.47 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Kenya?
- Forest area in Kenya was 3.46 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 3.71 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.46 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Kenya rank for forest area?
- Kenya ranks 29th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.