Forest area in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Forest area was 44.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe is 44.7%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Zimbabwe peaked at 48.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 44.7%, in 2023.
Zimbabwe ranks 63rd of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 48.7% | — |
| 1991 | 48.5% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 48.4% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 48.3% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 48.2% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 48.1% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 48.0% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 47.8% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 47.7% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 47.6% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 47.5% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 47.4% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 47.2% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 47.1% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 47.0% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 46.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 46.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 46.5% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 46.4% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 46.3% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 46.2% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 46.0% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 45.9% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 45.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 45.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 45.5% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 45.3% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 45.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 45.1% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 45.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 44.9% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 44.7% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.1% | 47.6% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.9% | 46.4% | 47.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 45.2% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.9% | 44.7% | 45.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 60 New Caledonia 45.8% compare
- 61 Mozambique 45.8% compare
- 62 Dominican Republic 45.0% compare
- 64 Trinidad and Tobago 44.2% compare
- 65 Belarus 43.4% compare
- 66 Cambodia 43.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Zimbabwe?
- Forest area in Zimbabwe was 44.7% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.7% in 2023.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for forest area?
- Zimbabwe ranks 63rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.