Forest area (sq. km) in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Forest area (sq. km) was 4.38 million sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 4.38 million sq. km for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 4.91 million sq. km in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4.38 million sq. km, in 2023.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 30th of 47 groups 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 (sq. km) in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.77 million sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 4.75 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 4.73 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 4.91 million sq. km | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.89 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 4.87 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 4.85 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 4.83 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 4.81 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 4.79 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 4.77 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 4.74 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 4.72 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 4.70 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 4.67 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 4.65 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 4.62 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 4.60 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 4.57 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 4.55 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 4.52 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.49 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 4.73 million sq. km | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 4.70 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 4.67 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.64 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 4.61 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 4.58 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 4.54 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 4.51 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 4.48 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 4.45 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 4.41 million sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 4.38 million sq. km | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.82 million sq. km | 4.73 million sq. km | 4.91 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.66 million sq. km | 4.55 million sq. km | 4.77 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.60 million sq. km | 4.49 million sq. km | 4.73 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.43 million sq. km | 4.38 million sq. km | 4.48 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 209.47 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.613 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
- Rural population 61.3% (2025)
- Rural population 483.55 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 15.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Forest area in Africa Eastern and Southern was 4.38 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 4.91 million sq. km in 1993.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.38 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for forest area?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (sq. km). 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 is land 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.