South Africa vs Southern Africa: Forest area
South Africa
22,881 ha th
in 2025
Southern Africa
47,122 ha th
in 2025
South Africa rank
30th
Southern Africa rank
29th
Forest area over time
- South Africa
- Southern Africa
How they compare
Southern Africa currently reports 47,122 ha th against 22,881 ha th in South Africa, a difference of 24,241 ha th.
That makes Southern Africa's figure about 2.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 6 years both countries report, Southern Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 30th and Southern Africa ranks 29th of 253 countries.
Southern Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Southern Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19,817 ha th | 44,834 ha th | 25,017 ha th | Southern Africa |
| 2000s | 20,692 ha th | 44,984 ha th | 24,292 ha th | Southern Africa |
| 2010s | 21,787 ha th | 46,052 ha th | 24,265 ha th | Southern Africa |
| 2020s | 22,662 ha th | 46,909 ha th | 24,246 ha th | Southern Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Southern Africa?
- Southern Africa, at 47,122 ha th against 22,881 ha th in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between South Africa and Southern Africa?
- 24,241 ha th, with Southern Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Southern Africa?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Southern Africa rank globally for forest area?
- South Africa ranks 30th and Southern Africa ranks 29th of 253 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Forest area (thousands of hectares). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.