Annual afforestation in Ireland
Ireland: Annual afforestation was 5,660 hectares per year in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Annual afforestation in Ireland, 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
The most recent figure for annual afforestation in Ireland is 5,660 hectares per year, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual afforestation in Ireland peaked at 16,880 hectares per year in 1990 and was at its lowest, 4,410 hectares per year, in 2015.
Ireland ranks 26th of 106 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Annual afforestation in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16,880 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 10,120 hectares per year | -40.0% |
| 2010 | 6,400 hectares per year | -36.8% |
| 2015 | 4,410 hectares per year | -31.1% |
| 2020 | 5,660 hectares per year | +28.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5,660 hectares per year is above the median for high income countries, which is 425 hectares per year, 13.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5,660 hectares per year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 920 hectares per year, 6.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16,880 hectares per year | 16,880 hectares per year | 16,880 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 10,120 hectares per year | 10,120 hectares per year | 10,120 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 5,405 hectares per year | 4,410 hectares per year | 6,400 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 5,660 hectares per year | 5,660 hectares per year | 5,660 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % 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 Ireland?
- Annual afforestation in Ireland was 5,660 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 16,880 hectares per year in 1990.
- What is the lowest annual afforestation recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,410 hectares per year in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for annual afforestation?
- Ireland ranks 26th out of 106 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual afforestation rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.