Annual afforestation in Iceland
Iceland: Annual afforestation was 920 hectares per year in 2020. ▼ Falling
Annual afforestation in Iceland, 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
In 2020, annual afforestation in Iceland stood at 920 hectares per year.
The figure is up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual afforestation in Iceland peaked at 1,610 hectares per year in 2000 and was at its lowest, 650 hectares per year, in 2015.
Iceland ranks 47th of 106 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Annual afforestation in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,390 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 1,610 hectares per year | +15.8% |
| 2010 | 860 hectares per year | -46.6% |
| 2015 | 650 hectares per year | -24.4% |
| 2020 | 920 hectares per year | +41.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 920 hectares per year is above the median for high income countries, which is 425 hectares per year, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 920 hectares per year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 920 hectares per year, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,390 hectares per year | 1,390 hectares per year | 1,390 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 1,610 hectares per year | 1,610 hectares per year | 1,610 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 755 hectares per year | 650 hectares per year | 860 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 920 hectares per year | 920 hectares per year | 920 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual afforestation in Iceland?
- Annual afforestation in Iceland was 920 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1,610 hectares per year in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual afforestation recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 650 hectares per year in 2015.
- How does Iceland rank for annual afforestation?
- Iceland ranks 47th out of 106 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual afforestation rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.