Forest area in Nigeria
Nigeria: Forest area was 23.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Nigeria, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Nigeria stood at 23.2%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nigeria peaked at 29.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 23.2%, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 124th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29.1% | — |
| 1991 | 28.9% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 28.8% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 28.6% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 28.4% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 28.2% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 28.0% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 27.9% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 27.7% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 27.5% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 27.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 27.2% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.0% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 26.8% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 26.6% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 26.4% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 26.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 25.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 25.7% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 25.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 25.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 25.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 24.8% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 24.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 24.5% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 24.1% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 23.7% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 23.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 23.4% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 23.2% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.3% | 27.5% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 25.7% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 23.9% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 23.2% | 23.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nigeria?
- Forest area in Nigeria was 23.2% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.2% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for forest area?
- Nigeria ranks 124th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.