Forest area in Switzerland
Switzerland: Forest area was 32.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Switzerland, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 32.4% for forest area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Switzerland peaked at 32.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.2%, in 1990.
That places Switzerland 105th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29.2% | — |
| 1991 | 29.3% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 29.4% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 29.5% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 29.6% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 29.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 29.8% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 29.9% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 30.0% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 30.2% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 30.3% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 30.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 30.5% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 30.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 30.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 30.8% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 30.9% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 31.1% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 31.2% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 31.2% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 31.3% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 31.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 31.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 31.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 31.7% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 31.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 31.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 32.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 32.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 32.2% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 32.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 32.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.7% | 29.2% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.7% | 30.3% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.6% | 31.2% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.3% | 32.1% | 32.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More agriculture & rural data for Switzerland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 739.83 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8806 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1427 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Switzerland?
- Forest area in Switzerland was 32.4% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 32.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.2% in 1990.
- How does Switzerland rank for forest area?
- Switzerland ranks 105th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.