Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa: Forest area was 653.07 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling

Latest (2011)
653.07 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
4th
of 6 groups
All-time high
731.56 million hectares
in 1990
All-time low
653.07 million hectares
in 2011
Years of data
22
1990–2011

Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa, 1990–2011

0200.0M400.0M600.0M800.0M1990200020111990: 731.6M hectares1991: 727.5M hectares1992: 723.4M hectares1993: 719.3M hectares1994: 715.3M hectares1995: 711.2M hectares1996: 707.1M hectares1997: 703.0M hectares1998: 698.9M hectares1999: 694.9M hectares2000: 690.8M hectares2001: 687.4M hectares2002: 683.9M hectares2003: 680.5M hectares2004: 677.0M hectares2005: 673.6M hectares2006: 670.2M hectares2007: 666.7M hectares2008: 663.3M hectares2009: 659.9M hectares2010: 656.4M hectares2011: 653.1M hectares

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa recorded 653.07 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 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa peaked at 731.56 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 653.07 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 South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Forest area (hectares) in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa, 1990 to 2011.
Year hectares Change
1990 731.56 million hectares
1991 727.48 million hectares -0.6%
1992 723.41 million hectares -0.6%
1993 719.33 million hectares -0.6%
1994 715.25 million hectares -0.6%
1995 711.18 million hectares -0.6%
1996 707.10 million hectares -0.6%
1997 703.02 million hectares -0.6%
1998 698.95 million hectares -0.6%
1999 694.87 million hectares -0.6%
2000 690.80 million hectares -0.6%
2001 687.36 million hectares -0.5%
2002 683.91 million hectares -0.5%
2003 680.47 million hectares -0.5%
2004 677.03 million hectares -0.5%
2005 673.59 million hectares -0.5%
2006 670.16 million hectares -0.5%
2007 666.73 million hectares -0.5%
2008 663.30 million hectares -0.5%
2009 659.87 million hectares -0.5%
2010 656.45 million hectares -0.5%
2011 653.07 million hectares -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 713.22 million hectares 694.87 million hectares 731.56 million hectares 10
2000s 675.32 million hectares 659.87 million hectares 690.80 million hectares 10
2010s 654.76 million hectares 653.07 million hectares 656.45 million hectares 2

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa

  1. 1 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 153.82 million hectares compare
  2. 2 Sudan 69.95 million hectares compare
  3. 3 Angola 58.36 million hectares compare
  4. 4 Zambia 49.30 million hectares compare
  5. 5 Mozambique 38.81 million hectares compare
  6. 6 Tanzania, United Republic of 33.02 million hectares compare
  7. 7 Central African Republic 22.57 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 59 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa was 653.07 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 South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 731.56 million hectares in 1990.
What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 653.07 million hectares in 2011.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa rank for forest area?
Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa ranks 4th out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
Is forest area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa 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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Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/forest-area-hectares/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest area (hectares)
Unit
hectares
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 1,295 data points, 1990–2011
Last refreshed

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.