Forest area in Eswatini
Eswatini: Forest area was 5,012 sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Eswatini, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Eswatini stood at 5,012 sq. km. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Eswatini peaked at 5,012 sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4,611 sq. km, in 1990.
Eswatini ranks 140th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,611 sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 4,624 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 4,636 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 4,648 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 4,660 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 4,672 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 4,684 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 4,696 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 4,709 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 4,721 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 4,733 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 4,745 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 4,757 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 4,769 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 4,781 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 4,794 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 4,806 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 4,818 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 4,830 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 4,842 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 4,854 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 4,866 sq. km | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 4,879 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 4,891 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 4,903 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 4,915 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 4,927 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 4,939 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 4,951 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 4,964 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 4,976 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 4,988 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 5,000 sq. km | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 5,012 sq. km | +0.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 5,012 sq. km is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36,019 sq. km, 14% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 5,012 sq. km is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59,081 sq. km, 8% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,666 sq. km | 4,611 sq. km | 4,721 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,787 sq. km | 4,733 sq. km | 4,842 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,909 sq. km | 4,854 sq. km | 4,964 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,994 sq. km | 4,976 sq. km | 5,012 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Eswatini?
- Forest area in Eswatini was 5,012 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 5,012 sq. km in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,611 sq. km in 1990.
- How does Eswatini rank for forest area?
- Eswatini ranks 140th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.