Forest area in China
China: Forest area was 24.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in China, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
China recorded 24.0% for forest area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in China peaked at 24.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 1990.
That places China 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in China, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16.7% | — |
| 1991 | 16.9% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 17.4% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 17.6% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 18.0% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 18.2% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 18.4% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 18.6% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 18.9% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 19.1% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 19.4% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 19.6% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 20.1% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 20.6% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 20.9% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 21.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 21.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 21.6% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 21.8% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 22.0% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 22.6% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 22.8% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 23.2% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 23.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 23.6% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 23.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.7% | 16.7% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 18.9% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 21.4% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 23.4% | 24.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in China?
- Forest area in China was 24.0% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 1990.
- How does China rank for forest area?
- China ranks 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.