Forest area (sq. km) in South Africa
South Africa: Forest area (sq. km) was 228,814 sq. km in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forest area in South Africa, 1990–2025
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area in South Africa stood at 228,814 sq. km. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in South Africa peaked at 228,814 sq. km in 2025 and was at its lowest, 198,166 sq. km, in 1990.
South Africa ranks 27th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area (sq. km) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 198,166 sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 199,041 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 199,917 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 200,793 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 201,668 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 202,544 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 203,420 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 204,295 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 205,171 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 206,047 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 206,922 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 207,798 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 208,674 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 209,549 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 210,425 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 211,301 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 212,176 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 213,052 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 213,928 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 214,804 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 215,679 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 216,555 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 217,431 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 218,306 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 219,182 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 220,058 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 220,933 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 221,809 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 222,685 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 223,560 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 224,436 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 225,312 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 226,187 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 227,063 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 227,938 sq. km | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 228,814 sq. km | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 228,814 sq. km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,937 sq. km, 10.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 228,814 sq. km is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43,718 sq. km, 5.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 202,106 sq. km | 198,166 sq. km | 206,047 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 210,863 sq. km | 206,922 sq. km | 214,804 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 219,620 sq. km | 215,679 sq. km | 223,560 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 226,625 sq. km | 224,436 sq. km | 228,814 sq. km | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1917 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in South Africa?
- Forest area in South Africa was 228,814 sq. km in 2025, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 228,814 sq. km in 2025.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 198,166 sq. km in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for forest area?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.