Forest area in Tanzania
Tanzania: Forest area was 33.02 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Tanzania, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 33.02 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 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Tanzania peaked at 41.49 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 33.02 million hectares, in 2011.
That places Tanzania 6th out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41.49 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 41.09 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 40.69 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 40.29 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 39.88 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 39.48 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 39.08 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 38.67 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 38.27 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 37.87 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 37.46 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 37.06 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 36.66 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 36.25 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 35.85 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 35.45 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 35.04 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 34.64 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 34.23 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 33.83 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 33.43 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 33.02 million hectares | -1.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 33.02 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 6.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 33.02 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 5.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.68 million hectares | 37.87 million hectares | 41.49 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.65 million hectares | 33.83 million hectares | 37.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.23 million hectares | 33.02 million hectares | 33.43 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2291 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 292.74 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6312 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Tanzania?
- Forest area in Tanzania was 33.02 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 41.49 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.02 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Tanzania rank for forest area?
- Tanzania ranks 6th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.