Forest area in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Forest area was 9.25 million sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Latin America & Caribbean, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 9.25 million sq. km for forest area 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 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 10.70 million sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 9.25 million sq. km, in 2023.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 12th out of 45 groups 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 Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.70 million sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 10.65 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 10.59 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 10.54 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 10.48 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 10.43 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 10.37 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 10.32 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 10.26 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 10.21 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 10.15 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 10.10 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 10.04 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 9.99 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 9.93 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 9.88 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 9.82 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 9.77 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 9.71 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 9.66 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 9.60 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 9.57 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 9.54 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 9.51 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 9.49 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 9.46 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 9.43 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 9.39 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 9.37 million sq. km | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 9.34 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 9.32 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 9.30 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 9.27 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 9.25 million sq. km | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.45 million sq. km | 10.21 million sq. km | 10.70 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.91 million sq. km | 9.66 million sq. km | 10.15 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.47 million sq. km | 9.34 million sq. km | 9.60 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.28 million sq. km | 9.25 million sq. km | 9.32 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More agriculture & rural data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Rural population, per capita 0.1849 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 123.28 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 18.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.3% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 754.45 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.068 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 502.91 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Forest area in Latin America & Caribbean was 9.25 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 10.70 million sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.25 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for forest area?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 12th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.