Forest area in Madagascar
Madagascar: Forest area was 21.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Madagascar, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Madagascar stood at 21.3%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Madagascar peaked at 23.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2023.
Madagascar ranks 131st 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 Madagascar, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23.5% | — |
| 1991 | 23.4% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 23.3% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 23.2% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 23.0% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 22.7% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 22.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 22.5% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.3% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 22.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 22.1% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 22.0% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 21.7% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 21.6% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 21.6% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.0% | 22.5% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 21.7% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.5% | 21.4% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.3% | 21.3% | 21.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More agriculture & rural data for Madagascar
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.217 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 130.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0011 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.671 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Madagascar?
- Forest area in Madagascar was 21.3% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2023.
- How does Madagascar rank for forest area?
- Madagascar ranks 131st out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.