Forest area in Nigeria
Nigeria: Forest area was 211,370 sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Nigeria, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 211,370 sq. km for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nigeria peaked at 265,261 sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 211,370 sq. km, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 29th out of 214 countries 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 265,261 sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 263,628 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 261,995 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 260,362 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 258,729 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 257,096 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 255,463 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 253,830 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 252,196 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 250,563 sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 248,930 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 247,297 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 245,664 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 244,031 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 242,398 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 240,765 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 239,132 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 237,499 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 235,866 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 234,233 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 232,600 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 230,967 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 229,334 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 227,701 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 226,068 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 224,434 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 222,801 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 221,168 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 219,536 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 217,902 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 216,270 sq. km | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 214,636 sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 213,004 sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 211,370 sq. km | -0.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 211,370 sq. km is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36,019 sq. km, 5.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 211,370 sq. km is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59,081 sq. km, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 257,912 sq. km | 250,563 sq. km | 265,261 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 241,582 sq. km | 234,233 sq. km | 248,930 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 225,251 sq. km | 217,902 sq. km | 232,600 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 213,820 sq. km | 211,370 sq. km | 216,270 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nigeria?
- Forest area in Nigeria was 211,370 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 265,261 sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 211,370 sq. km in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for forest area?
- Nigeria ranks 29th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.