France vs Nigeria: Forest area
France
17.80 million hectares
in 2025
Nigeria
17.13 million hectares
in 2025
France rank
38th
Nigeria rank
39th
Forest area over time
- France
- Nigeria
How they compare
France currently reports 17.80 million hectares against 17.13 million hectares in Nigeria, a difference of 665,000 hectares.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Nigeria ahead.
France ranks 38th and Nigeria ranks 39th of 235 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and Nigeria in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.82 million hectares | 21.00 million hectares | 6.18 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 15.80 million hectares | 19.73 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 16.81 million hectares | 18.46 million hectares | 1.65 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 17.57 million hectares | 17.45 million hectares | 124,333 hectares | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, France or Nigeria?
- France, at 17.80 million hectares against 17.13 million hectares in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between France and Nigeria?
- 665,000 hectares, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Nigeria?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do France and Nigeria rank globally for forest area?
- France ranks 38th and Nigeria ranks 39th of 235 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Forest area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
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.