Forest area in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Forest area was 357,552 sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat
Forest area in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 357,552 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 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Papua New Guinea peaked at 363,997 sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 357,552 sq. km, in 2023.
Papua New Guinea ranks 19th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Forest area in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 363,997 sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 363,875 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 363,753 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 363,632 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 363,510 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 363,388 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 363,267 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 363,145 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 363,023 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 362,901 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 362,780 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 362,681 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 362,582 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 362,482 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 362,383 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 362,284 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 362,185 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 362,086 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 361,987 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 361,888 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 361,789 sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 361,480 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 361,171 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 360,862 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 360,553 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 360,244 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 359,899 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 359,564 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 359,228 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 358,893 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 358,558 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 358,222 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 357,887 sq. km | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 357,552 sq. km | -0.1% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 357,552 sq. km is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36,019 sq. km, 9.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 357,552 sq. km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11,601 sq. km, 30.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 363,449 sq. km | 362,901 sq. km | 363,997 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 362,334 sq. km | 361,888 sq. km | 362,780 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 360,368 sq. km | 358,893 sq. km | 361,789 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 358,055 sq. km | 357,552 sq. km | 358,558 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Papua New Guinea?
- Forest area in Papua New Guinea was 357,552 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 363,997 sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 357,552 sq. km in 2023.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for forest area?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 19th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.