Forest area in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Forest area was 19.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Africa Western and Central, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Africa Western and Central recorded 19.6% for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Africa Western and Central peaked at 22.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 19.6%, in 2023.
Africa Western and Central ranks 42nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22.8% | — |
| 1991 | 22.7% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 22.5% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 22.4% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 22.3% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 22.2% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 22.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 21.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 21.8% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 21.7% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 21.6% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 21.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 21.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 21.3% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 21.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 21.1% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 21.0% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 20.9% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 20.8% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 20.6% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 20.5% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 20.4% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 20.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 20.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 20.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 19.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 19.6% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.2% | 21.7% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.2% | 20.8% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.3% | 19.9% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 19.6% | 19.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
- 39 Latvia 55.0% compare
- 40 Belize 54.5% compare
- 41 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 54.2% compare
- 42 Northern Mariana Islands 53.0% compare
- 43 Colombia 52.8% compare
- 44 Cayman Islands 52.5% compare
- 45 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 52.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Western and Central
- Rural population, per capita 0.4652 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 21.9% (2025)
- Rural population 247.88 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 46.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 4.2% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 350.89 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Africa Western and Central?
- Forest area in Africa Western and Central was 19.6% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6% in 2023.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for forest area?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forest area (% of land area) is the share of total land area that is 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.