Annual afforestation in Canada
Canada: Annual afforestation was 1,430 hectares per year in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Annual afforestation in Canada, 1990–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per year.
Analysis
Canada recorded 1,430 hectares per year for annual afforestation in 2020.
The figure is up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual afforestation in Canada peaked at 7,330 hectares per year in 1990 and was at its lowest, 930 hectares per year, in 2015.
That places Canada 43rd out of 106 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Annual afforestation in Canada, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7,330 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 2,680 hectares per year | -63.4% |
| 2010 | 1,270 hectares per year | -52.6% |
| 2015 | 930 hectares per year | -26.8% |
| 2020 | 1,430 hectares per year | +53.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1,430 hectares per year is above the median for high income countries, which is 425 hectares per year, 3.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7,330 hectares per year | 7,330 hectares per year | 7,330 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 2,680 hectares per year | 2,680 hectares per year | 2,680 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 1,100 hectares per year | 930 hectares per year | 1,270 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 1,430 hectares per year | 1,430 hectares per year | 1,430 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.3398 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual afforestation in Canada?
- Annual afforestation in Canada was 1,430 hectares per year in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual afforestation recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7,330 hectares per year in 1990.
- What is the lowest annual afforestation recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 930 hectares per year in 2015.
- How does Canada rank for annual afforestation?
- Canada ranks 43rd out of 106 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual afforestation rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual afforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Afforestation is the establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land that, until then, was not classified as forest.