Forest area in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Forest area was 25.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Nicaragua, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Nicaragua stood at 25.8%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nicaragua peaked at 53.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 2023.
That places Nicaragua 116th out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 53.2% | — |
| 1991 | 52.3% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 51.5% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 49.9% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 49.0% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 48.2% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 47.4% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 46.5% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 45.7% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 44.9% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 43.9% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 42.9% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 41.8% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 40.8% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 39.8% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 37.8% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 36.8% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 35.8% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 34.8% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 34.3% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 33.9% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 33.4% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 32.9% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 32.5% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 31.6% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 30.8% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 30.0% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 28.3% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 27.5% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 26.7% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.4% | 45.7% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.3% | 35.8% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.3% | 29.1% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.1% | 25.8% | 28.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More agriculture & rural data for Nicaragua
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 12.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1448 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 459.4 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8714 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4056 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 14.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 14.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nicaragua?
- Forest area in Nicaragua was 25.8% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 53.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 2023.
- How does Nicaragua rank for forest area?
- Nicaragua ranks 116th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.