New Zealand vs South Africa: Annual change in forest area
New Zealand
67,548 hectares
in 2025
South Africa
87,566 hectares
in 2025
New Zealand rank
8th
South Africa rank
5th
Annual change in forest area over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 87,566 hectares against 67,548 hectares in New Zealand, a difference of 20,018 hectares.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times New Zealand's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
New Zealand ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 5th of 235 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47,817 hectares | 87,568 hectares | 39,751 hectares | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4,573 hectares | 87,568 hectares | 82,995 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9,320 hectares | 87,567 hectares | 78,247 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 60,246 hectares | 87,566 hectares | 27,320 hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual change in forest area, New Zealand or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 87,566 hectares against 67,548 hectares in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual change in forest area between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 20,018 hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for annual change in forest area?
- New Zealand ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 5th of 235 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual change in forest area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.