South Africa vs Western Europe: Forest area
South Africa
22,881 ha th
in 2025
Western Europe
35,582 ha th
in 2025
South Africa rank
30th
Western Europe rank
31st
Forest area over time
- South Africa
- Western Europe
How they compare
Western Europe currently reports 35,582 ha th against 22,881 ha th in South Africa, a difference of 12,701 ha th.
That makes Western Europe's figure about 1.6 times South Africa's.
Across all 6 years both countries report, Western Europe has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 30th and Western Europe ranks 31st of 255 countries.
Western Europe has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Western Europe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19,817 ha th | 31,779 ha th | 11,962 ha th | Western Europe |
| 2000s | 20,692 ha th | 32,795 ha th | 12,103 ha th | Western Europe |
| 2010s | 21,787 ha th | 34,312 ha th | 12,525 ha th | Western Europe |
| 2020s | 22,662 ha th | 35,333 ha th | 12,671 ha th | Western Europe |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, South Africa or Western Europe?
- Western Europe, at 35,582 ha th against 22,881 ha th in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between South Africa and Western Europe?
- 12,701 ha th, with Western Europe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Western Europe?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Western Europe rank globally for forest area?
- South Africa ranks 30th and Western Europe ranks 31st of 255 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.