Forest area in Zambia
Zambia: Forest area was 59.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 59.5% for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Zambia peaked at 63.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 2023.
That places Zambia 28th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 63.8% | — |
| 1991 | 63.7% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 63.7% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 63.6% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 63.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 63.5% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 63.5% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 63.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 63.4% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 63.3% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 63.3% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 63.2% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 63.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 63.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 63.1% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 63.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 63.0% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 63.0% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 62.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 62.9% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 62.8% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 62.6% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 62.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 62.1% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 61.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 61.5% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 61.3% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 61.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 60.8% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 60.5% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 60.3% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 60.0% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 59.8% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 59.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.6% | 63.3% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.1% | 62.9% | 63.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.7% | 60.5% | 62.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.9% | 59.5% | 60.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 25 Montenegro 61.5% compare
- 26 Slovenia 61.2% compare
- 27 Costa Rica 60.4% compare
- 29 Brazil 59.0% compare
- 30 United States Virgin Islands 58.2% compare
- 31 Malaysia 57.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Zambia?
- Forest area in Zambia was 59.5% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 63.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for forest area?
- Zambia ranks 28th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.