Forest area in European Union
European Union: Forest area was 40.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in European Union, 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 European Union is 40.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in European Union peaked at 40.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 36.1%, in 1990.
That places European Union 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in European Union, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 36.1% | — |
| 1991 | 36.3% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 36.9% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 37.0% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 37.2% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 37.4% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 37.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 37.7% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 37.9% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 38.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 38.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 38.2% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 38.3% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 38.4% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 38.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 38.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 38.9% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 39.1% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 39.2% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 39.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 39.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 39.4% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 39.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 39.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 39.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 39.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 39.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 39.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 40.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 40.0% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 40.1% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.2% | 36.1% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.6% | 38.1% | 39.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.6% | 39.3% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.0% | 39.9% | 40.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 4 Palau 90.5% compare
- 5 Solomon Islands 90.1% compare
- 6 Guyana 87.1% compare
- 7 Equatorial Guinea 86.4% compare
- 8 American Samoa 85.2% compare
- 9 Papua New Guinea 79.0% compare
- 10 Liberia 78.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for European Union
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 346.42 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.6% (2025)
- Rural population 112.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 24.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2483 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 767.89 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in European Union?
- Forest area in European Union was 40.1% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 40.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.1% in 1990.
- How does European Union rank for forest area?
- European Union ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.