Forest area in North America
North America: Forest area was 6.57 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat
Forest area in North America, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in North America is 6.57 million sq. km, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in North America peaked at 6.57 million sq. km in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.51 million sq. km, in 1990.
North America ranks 18th of 48 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.51 million sq. km | 6.51 million sq. km | 6.51 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.53 million sq. km | 6.51 million sq. km | 6.56 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.57 million sq. km | 6.56 million sq. km | 6.57 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.57 million sq. km | 6.57 million sq. km | 6.57 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
More agriculture & rural data for North America
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Rural population 19.5% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 74.83 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.0% (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 256.06 billion current US$ (2021)
- Land under cereal production 54.08 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 8,414 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 454.99 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in North America?
- Forest area in North America was 6.57 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 6.57 million sq. km in 2015.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.51 million sq. km in 1990.
- How does North America rank for forest area?
- North America ranks 18th out of 48 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North America 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.