Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Forest area was 6.15 million sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (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 Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 6.15 million sq. km. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 6.94 million sq. km in 1993 and was at its lowest, 6.15 million sq. km, in 2023.
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 20th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.83 million sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 6.80 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 6.77 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 6.94 million sq. km | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 6.91 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 6.88 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.85 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 6.82 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 6.78 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 6.75 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.72 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 6.69 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 6.66 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 6.62 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 6.59 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 6.56 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 6.53 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 6.49 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.46 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 6.43 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 6.39 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 6.36 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 6.59 million sq. km | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 6.55 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 6.51 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 6.47 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 6.43 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 6.39 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 6.35 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.31 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 6.27 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 6.23 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 6.19 million sq. km | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 6.15 million sq. km | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.83 million sq. km | 6.75 million sq. km | 6.94 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.57 million sq. km | 6.43 million sq. km | 6.72 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.44 million sq. km | 6.31 million sq. km | 6.59 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.21 million sq. km | 6.15 million sq. km | 6.27 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 6.15 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 6.94 million sq. km in 1993.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.15 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for forest area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 20th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (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.