Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Forest area was 660.70 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 660.70 million hectares, measured in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 738.94 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 660.70 million hectares, in 2011.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 738.94 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 734.88 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 730.81 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 726.75 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 722.68 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 718.62 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 714.55 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 710.49 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 706.42 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 702.36 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 698.29 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 694.87 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 691.43 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 688.00 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 684.57 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 681.14 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 677.73 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 674.31 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 670.89 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 667.48 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 664.06 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 660.70 million hectares | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 720.65 million hectares | 702.36 million hectares | 738.94 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 682.87 million hectares | 667.48 million hectares | 698.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 662.38 million hectares | 660.70 million hectares | 664.06 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1792 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 660.70 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 738.94 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 660.70 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for forest area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.