Forest area in El Salvador
El Salvador: Forest area was 5,704 sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in El Salvador, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 5,704 sq. km for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in El Salvador peaked at 7,189 sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 5,704 sq. km, in 2023.
El Salvador ranks 136th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6,986 sq. km | 6,784 sq. km | 7,189 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,536 sq. km | 6,334 sq. km | 6,739 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,086 sq. km | 5,884 sq. km | 6,289 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,771 sq. km | 5,704 sq. km | 5,839 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More agriculture & rural data for El Salvador
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.62 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.4% (2025)
- Rural population 1.56 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.4% (2025)
- Rural population 24.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.4% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.4% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 317,461 hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in El Salvador?
- Forest area in El Salvador was 5,704 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 7,189 sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,704 sq. km in 2023.
- How does El Salvador rank for forest area?
- El Salvador ranks 136th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.
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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.