Forest area in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Forest area was 14.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
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 Ethiopia is 14.9%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Ethiopia peaked at 19.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2023.
That places Ethiopia 142nd 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 31 years of available data.
Forest area in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 19.0% | — |
| 1994 | 19.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 18.9% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 18.8% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 18.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 18.5% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 18.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 18.3% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -11.7% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 15.9% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 15.8% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 15.7% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 15.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 15.3% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 15.2% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 15.1% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 15.0% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 14.9% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.8% | 18.6% | 19.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 17.0% | 15.8% | 18.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 15.2% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.0% | 14.9% | 15.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Ethiopia?
- Forest area in Ethiopia was 14.9% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2023.
- How does Ethiopia rank for forest area?
- Ethiopia ranks 142nd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 31 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.