Forest area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Forest area was 13.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 13.3%, measured 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 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 13.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 1990.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 148th out of 214 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.5% | — |
| 1991 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 11.8% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 11.9% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 12.1% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 12.2% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 12.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 12.3% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 12.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 12.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 12.4% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 12.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 12.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 12.7% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 12.9% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 13.0% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 13.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 13.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 13.2% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 13.2% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 13.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 13.3% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.8% | 11.5% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.4% | 12.2% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 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 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Forest area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 13.3% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 1990.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for forest area?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 148th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.