Forest area in Ecuador
Ecuador: Forest area was 49.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Ecuador, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Ecuador is 49.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Ecuador peaked at 56.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 49.5%, in 2023.
Ecuador ranks 55th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 52.9% | — |
| 1991 | 52.5% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 52.2% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 51.9% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 51.6% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 51.2% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 50.9% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 50.6% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 56.0% | +10.7% |
| 1999 | 55.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 55.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 55.0% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 54.7% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 54.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 54.2% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 53.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 53.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 53.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 53.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 52.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 52.3% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 52.1% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 52.0% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 51.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 51.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 51.4% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 51.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 50.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 50.6% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 50.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 50.1% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 49.8% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 49.5% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.5% | 50.6% | 56.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.0% | 52.7% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.6% | 50.6% | 52.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.9% | 49.5% | 50.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More agriculture & rural data for Ecuador
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.097 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4287 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3661 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Ecuador?
- Forest area in Ecuador was 49.5% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 1998.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.5% in 2023.
- How does Ecuador rank for forest area?
- Ecuador ranks 55th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.