Forest area in Nigeria
Nigeria: Forest area was 8.63 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Nigeria, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, forest area in Nigeria stood at 8.63 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.5% on the previous year and down 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nigeria peaked at 17.23 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 8.63 million hectares, in 2011.
That places Nigeria 19th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.23 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 16.82 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 16.41 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 16.00 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 15.60 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 15.19 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 14.78 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 14.37 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 13.96 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 13.55 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 13.14 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 12.73 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 12.32 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 11.91 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 11.50 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 11.09 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 10.68 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 10.27 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 9.86 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 9.45 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 9.04 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 8.63 million hectares | -4.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 8.63 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 1.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 8.63 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.39 million hectares | 13.55 million hectares | 17.23 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.29 million hectares | 9.45 million hectares | 13.14 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.84 million hectares | 8.63 million hectares | 9.04 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nigeria?
- Forest area in Nigeria was 8.63 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 17.23 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.63 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Nigeria rank for forest area?
- Nigeria ranks 19th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.
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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.