Forest area (sq. km) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Forest area (sq. km) was 6.15 million sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 6.15 million sq. km for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 6.94 million sq. km in 1993 and was at its lowest, 6.15 million sq. km, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area (sq. km) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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
- 17 Central African Republic 450,949 sq. km compare
- 18 Zambia 448,743 sq. km compare
- 19 Tanzania 434,000 sq. km compare
- 20 Papua New Guinea 340,290 sq. km compare
- 21 Mozambique 322,429 sq. km compare
- 22 Sweden 279,340 sq. km compare
- 23 Myanmar 270,953 sq. km compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Forest area in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 6.94 million sq. km in 1993.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.15 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for forest area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.