Gambia vs South Africa: Share of land covered by forest
Gambia
20.7%
in 2025
South Africa
18.9%
in 2025
Gambia rank
132nd
South Africa rank
135th
Share of land covered by forest over time
- Gambia
- South Africa
How they compare
Gambia currently reports 20.7% against 18.9% in South Africa, a difference of 1.8%.
That makes Gambia's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Gambia has been ahead every year.
Gambia ranks 132nd and South Africa ranks 135th of 216 countries.
Gambia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Gambia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.5% | 16.7% | 21.8% | Gambia |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 17.4% | 15.4% | Gambia |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 18.1% | 9.0% | Gambia |
| 2020s | 22.3% | 18.7% | 3.6% | Gambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of land covered by forest, Gambia or South Africa?
- Gambia, at 20.7% against 18.9% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of land covered by forest between Gambia and South Africa?
- 1.8%, with Gambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Gambia and South Africa?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Gambia and South Africa rank globally for share of land covered by forest?
- Gambia ranks 132nd and South Africa ranks 135th of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of land covered by forest. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.