Forest area in Cameroon
Cameroon: Forest area was 42.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Cameroon, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 42.7% for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Cameroon peaked at 47.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 42.7%, in 2023.
That places Cameroon 69th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 47.6% | — |
| 1991 | 47.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 47.2% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 47.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 46.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 46.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 46.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 46.3% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 46.1% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 45.9% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 45.7% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 45.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 45.4% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 45.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 45.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 45.0% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 44.8% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 44.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 44.5% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 44.4% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 44.2% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 44.1% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 44.0% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 43.9% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 43.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 43.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 43.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 43.4% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 43.3% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 43.1% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 43.0% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 42.9% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 42.8% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 42.7% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.7% | 45.9% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.0% | 44.4% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.7% | 43.1% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.9% | 42.7% | 43.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 66 Cambodia 43.1% compare
- 67 French Polynesia 43.1% compare
- 68 Bosnia and Herzegovina 42.7% compare
- 70 Myanmar 42.4% compare
- 71 Saint Kitts and Nevis 42.3% compare
- 72 Liechtenstein 41.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Cameroon
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.9031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1685 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 332.28 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4433 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 16.85 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 16.85 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 14.9% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Cameroon?
- Forest area in Cameroon was 42.7% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 47.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.7% in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for forest area?
- Cameroon ranks 69th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.