Forest area in India
India: Forest area was 24.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in India, 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 India is 24.5%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in India peaked at 24.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 1990.
India ranks 120th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in India, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21.5% | — |
| 1991 | 21.6% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 21.8% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 21.9% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 22.0% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 22.1% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 22.2% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 22.4% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 22.5% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 22.6% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 22.7% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 22.9% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 22.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 23.0% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 23.1% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 23.2% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 23.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 23.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 23.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 23.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 24.0% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 24.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 24.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 24.5% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.1% | 21.5% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 22.7% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 23.4% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 24.3% | 24.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 117 Chile 25.0% compare
- 118 Saint Martin (French part) 24.8% compare
- 119 Guinea 24.7% compare
- 121 Philippines 24.5% compare
- 122 British Virgin Islands 24.1% compare
- 123 China 24.0% compare
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in India?
- Forest area in India was 24.5% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 1990.
- How does India rank for forest area?
- India ranks 120th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.