Forest area in Laos
Laos: Forest area was 71.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Laos, 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 Laos is 71.5%, measured in 2023. 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 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Laos peaked at 77.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 71.5%, in 2023.
Laos ranks 16th 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 Laos, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 77.3% | — |
| 1991 | 77.1% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 76.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 76.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 76.6% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 76.4% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 76.0% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 75.9% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 75.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 75.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 75.3% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 75.1% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 74.9% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 74.7% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 74.0% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 73.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 73.6% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 73.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 73.1% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 73.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 72.8% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 72.7% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 72.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 72.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 72.2% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 72.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 71.9% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 71.8% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 71.6% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 71.5% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.5% | 75.7% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.6% | 73.6% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.7% | 72.1% | 73.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.7% | 71.5% | 71.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More agriculture & rural data for Laos
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1662 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0583 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5969 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 10.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 4.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Laos?
- Forest area in Laos was 71.5% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 77.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.5% in 2023.
- How does Laos rank for forest area?
- Laos ranks 16th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.