Forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Forest area was 9.20 million sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 9.20 million sq. km. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 10.67 million sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 9.20 million sq. km, in 2023.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 13th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.67 million sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 10.62 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 10.56 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 10.51 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 10.45 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 10.40 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 10.34 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 10.29 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 10.23 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 10.18 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 10.12 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 10.06 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 10.01 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 9.95 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 9.90 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 9.84 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 9.78 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 9.73 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 9.67 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 9.62 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 9.56 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 9.53 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 9.50 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 9.47 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 9.44 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 9.41 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 9.38 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 9.35 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 9.33 million sq. km | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 9.30 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 9.28 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 9.25 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 9.23 million sq. km | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 9.20 million sq. km | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.42 million sq. km | 10.18 million sq. km | 10.67 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.87 million sq. km | 9.62 million sq. km | 10.12 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.43 million sq. km | 9.30 million sq. km | 9.56 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.24 million sq. km | 9.20 million sq. km | 9.28 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 10 Peru 718,119 sq. km compare
- 11 Mexico 653,088 sq. km compare
- 12 Angola 649,422 sq. km compare
- 13 Colombia 585,441 sq. km compare
- 14 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 502,063 sq. km compare
- 15 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 460,729 sq. km compare
- 16 Tanzania, United Republic of 443,380 sq. km compare
More agriculture & rural data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1849 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.1% (2025)
- Rural population 120.45 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 18.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 763.37 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0705 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Forest area in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 9.20 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 10.67 million sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.20 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for forest area?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 13th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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
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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.