Forest area in South Africa
South Africa: Forest area was 14.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in South Africa stood at 14.0%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in South Africa peaked at 15.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 147th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 15.0% | — |
| 1991 | 14.9% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 14.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 14.9% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 14.8% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 14.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 14.8% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 14.7% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 14.7% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 14.6% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 14.5% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 14.4% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 14.4% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 14.4% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 14.2% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.8% | 14.7% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.5% | 14.4% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 14.1% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.0% | 14.0% | 14.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 144 Bangladesh 14.5% compare
- 145 Lebanon 14.2% compare
- 146 Azerbaijan 14.1% compare
- 148 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 13.3% compare
- 149 Morocco 12.9% compare
- 150 Tonga 12.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in South Africa?
- Forest area in South Africa was 14.0% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 15.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for forest area?
- South Africa ranks 147th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.