Forest area in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Forest area was 34.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 34.3%, measured in 2023. 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 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Sierra Leone peaked at 43.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 34.3%, in 2023.
That places Sierra Leone 92nd out of 213 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 43.3% | — |
| 1991 | 43.0% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 42.8% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 42.5% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 42.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 42.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 41.7% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 41.4% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 41.1% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 40.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 40.6% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 40.3% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 40.0% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 39.8% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 39.5% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 39.2% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 38.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 38.7% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 38.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 37.9% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 37.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 37.3% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 36.8% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 36.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 36.2% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 35.9% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 35.7% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 35.4% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 34.8% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 34.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.1% | 40.9% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.4% | 38.1% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.6% | 35.4% | 37.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.7% | 34.3% | 35.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More agriculture & rural data for Sierra Leone
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2954 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 250 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5407 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 29.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 29.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.4% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Sierra Leone?
- Forest area in Sierra Leone was 34.3% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 43.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.3% in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for forest area?
- Sierra Leone ranks 92nd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.