Forest area in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Forest area was 64.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Republic of Korea, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Republic of Korea stood at 64.1%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Republic of Korea peaked at 67.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 64.1%, in 2023.
Republic of Korea ranks 21st of 213 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 67.9% | — |
| 1991 | 67.8% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 67.8% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 67.7% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 67.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 67.5% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 67.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 67.2% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 67.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 66.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 66.7% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 66.6% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 66.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 66.4% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 66.3% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 66.2% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 66.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 65.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 65.7% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 65.6% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 65.4% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 65.2% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 65.1% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 65.0% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 64.9% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 64.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 64.5% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 64.4% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 64.3% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 64.2% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 64.1% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.6% | 67.2% | 67.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.5% | 65.9% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.1% | 64.5% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.3% | 64.1% | 64.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More agriculture & rural data for Republic of Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Republic of Korea?
- Forest area in Republic of Korea was 64.1% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 67.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.1% in 2023.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for forest area?
- Republic of Korea ranks 21st out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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.