Forest area in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Forest area was 15.30 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Zimbabwe, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 15.30 million hectares for forest area in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Zimbabwe peaked at 22.16 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 15.30 million hectares, in 2011.
That places Zimbabwe 11th out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22.16 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 21.84 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 21.51 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 21.18 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 20.86 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 20.53 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 20.20 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 19.88 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 19.55 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 19.22 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 18.89 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 18.57 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 18.24 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 17.91 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 17.59 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 17.26 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 16.93 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 16.61 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 16.28 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 15.95 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 15.62 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 15.30 million hectares | -2.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 15.30 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 3.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 15.30 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 2.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.69 million hectares | 19.22 million hectares | 22.16 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.42 million hectares | 15.95 million hectares | 18.89 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.46 million hectares | 15.30 million hectares | 15.62 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Zimbabwe?
- Forest area in Zimbabwe was 15.30 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 22.16 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.30 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for forest area?
- Zimbabwe ranks 11th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.