Forest area in Rwanda
Rwanda: Forest area was 11.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Rwanda, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Rwanda is 11.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Rwanda peaked at 12.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2010.
Rwanda ranks 158th 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12.8% | — |
| 1991 | 12.7% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 12.6% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 12.5% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 12.4% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 12.1% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 11.9% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 11.8% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 11.6% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 11.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 11.4% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 11.3% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 10.7% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 11.0% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 11.3% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.3% | 11.8% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 10.7% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 155 Cape Verde 11.6% compare
- 156 Ireland 11.5% compare
- 157 South Sudan 11.3% compare
- 159 Turks and Caicos Islands 11.1% compare
- 160 Netherlands 11.1% compare
- 161 Uganda 11.0% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Rwanda
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.203 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6953 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6909 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 20.3 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 20.3 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Rwanda?
- Forest area in Rwanda was 11.3% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2010.
- How does Rwanda rank for forest area?
- Rwanda ranks 158th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.