Forest area in Nepal
Nepal: Forest area was 41.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Nepal, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 41.6% for forest area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nepal peaked at 41.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 39.7%, in 1990.
That places Nepal 73rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 39.7% | — |
| 1991 | 39.7% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 39.8% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 39.9% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 40.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 40.0% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 40.1% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 40.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 40.3% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 40.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 40.3% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 40.5% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 40.6% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 40.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 40.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 41.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 41.1% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 41.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 41.3% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 41.5% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 41.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 41.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.0% | 39.7% | 40.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.9% | 40.3% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.6% | 41.6% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.6% | 41.6% | 41.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.33 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nepal?
- Forest area in Nepal was 41.6% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.7% in 1990.
- How does Nepal rank for forest area?
- Nepal ranks 73rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.