Forest area in North America
North America: Forest area was 36.6% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Forest area in North America, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
North America recorded 36.6% for forest area in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in North America peaked at 36.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 1990.
That places North America 12th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Forest area in North America, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.9% | — |
| 1991 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 35.9% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 36.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 36.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 36.1% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 36.2% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 36.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 36.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 36.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 36.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 36.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 36.3% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 36.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 36.3% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 36.3% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 36.3% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 36.6% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 36.6% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 36.6% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.9% | 35.9% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.1% | 35.9% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.3% | 36.2% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.5% | 36.3% | 36.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 9 Papua New Guinea 79.0% compare
- 10 Liberia 78.1% compare
- 11 Finland 73.7% compare
- 12 Seychelles 73.3% compare
- 13 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 73.2% compare
- 14 Brunei Darussalam 72.1% compare
- 15 Bhutan 71.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for North America
- Rural population, per capita 0.1951 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.0% (2021)
- Rural population 74.83 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 19.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.3 current US$ per person (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.18 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0099 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in North America?
- Forest area in North America was 36.6% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 36.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 1990.
- How does North America rank for forest area?
- North America ranks 12th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North America 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.