Forest area in Ghana
Ghana: Forest area was 35.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Ghana, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Ghana stood at 35.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Ghana peaked at 43.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 34.6%, in 2015.
Ghana ranks 88th 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 43.6% | — |
| 1991 | 43.1% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 42.7% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 42.2% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 41.7% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 41.3% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 40.8% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 40.3% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 39.8% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 39.4% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 38.5% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 38.1% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 37.7% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 37.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 36.9% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 36.5% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 36.1% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 35.7% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 35.3% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 34.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 34.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 34.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 34.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 34.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 34.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 35.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 35.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 35.2% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.5% | 39.4% | 43.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.1% | 35.3% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 34.6% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 35.1% | 35.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Ghana?
- Forest area in Ghana was 35.2% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 43.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.6% in 2015.
- How does Ghana rank for forest area?
- Ghana ranks 88th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.