Forest area in World
World: Forest area was 31.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in World, 1992–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in World stood at 31.1%. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in World peaked at 33.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 31.1%, in 2023.
World ranks 17th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Forest area in World, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 33.0% | — |
| 1993 | 32.8% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 32.8% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 32.7% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 32.6% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 32.6% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 32.4% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 32.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 32.3% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 32.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 32.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 32.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 32.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 32.1% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 32.0% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 32.0% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 31.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 31.5% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 31.4% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 31.4% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 31.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 31.3% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 31.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 31.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 31.2% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.7% | 32.5% | 33.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 32.2% | 32.0% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 31.2% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.1% | 31.1% | 31.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in World?
- Forest area in World was 31.1% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.1% in 2023.
- How does World rank for forest area?
- World ranks 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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 — 32 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.