China vs United States: Share of annual global forest expansion
China
35.2%
in 2020
United States
15.2%
in 2020
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Share of annual global forest expansion over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 35.2% against 15.2% in United States, a difference of 20.0%.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times United States's.
Across all 5 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 110 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.1% | 1.7% | 35.3% | China |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 5.7% | 23.6% | China |
| 2010s | 32.0% | 7.0% | 25.0% | China |
| 2020s | 35.2% | 15.2% | 20.0% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of annual global forest expansion, China or United States?
- China, at 35.2% against 15.2% in United States as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of annual global forest expansion between China and United States?
- 20.0%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do China and United States rank globally for share of annual global forest expansion?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 110 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 Share of annual global forest expansion. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of annual global forest expansion indicates the proportion of a country's forest expansion relative to the total global forest expansion.