Forest area in Gambia
Gambia: Forest area was 22.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Gambia, 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 Gambia is 22.3%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Gambia peaked at 41.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 22.3%, in 2023.
That places Gambia 128th out of 214 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 Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41.0% | — |
| 1991 | 40.4% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 39.8% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 39.3% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 38.7% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 38.1% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 37.6% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 37.0% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 36.4% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 34.7% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 34.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 33.6% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 33.0% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 31.9% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 31.3% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 30.8% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 30.2% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 29.6% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 29.1% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 28.5% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 27.9% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 27.4% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 26.8% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 25.7% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 25.1% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 23.4% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 22.3% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.4% | 35.9% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 30.2% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 24.5% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.1% | 22.3% | 24.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More agriculture & rural data for Gambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 25.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2385 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 219.17 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2766 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3501 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Gambia?
- Forest area in Gambia was 22.3% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 41.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.3% in 2023.
- How does Gambia rank for forest area?
- Gambia ranks 128th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.