Annual change in forest area in Benin

Benin: Annual change in forest area was -37,382 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
-37,382 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
202nd
of 235 countries
All-time high
-37,382 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
-151,426 hectares
in 2011
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Annual change in forest area in Benin, 1991–2025

-150.0k-125.0k-100.0k-75.0k-50.0k-25.0k1991200820251991: -130.6k hectares1992: -130.6k hectares1993: -130.6k hectares1994: -130.6k hectares1995: -130.6k hectares1996: -130.6k hectares1997: -130.6k hectares1998: -130.6k hectares1999: -130.6k hectares2000: -130.6k hectares2001: -141.0k hectares2002: -141.0k hectares2003: -141.0k hectares2004: -141.0k hectares2005: -141.0k hectares2006: -141.0k hectares2007: -141.0k hectares2008: -141.0k hectares2009: -141.0k hectares2010: -141.0k hectares2011: -151.4k hectares2012: -151.4k hectares2013: -151.4k hectares2014: -151.4k hectares2015: -151.4k hectares2016: -37.4k hectares2017: -37.4k hectares2018: -37.4k hectares2019: -37.4k hectares2020: -37.4k hectares2021: -37.4k hectares2022: -37.4k hectares2023: -37.4k hectares2024: -37.4k hectares2025: -37.4k hectares

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2025, annual change in forest area in Benin stood at -37,382 hectares. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 75.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Benin peaked at -37,382 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, -151,426 hectares, in 2011.

That places Benin 202nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -130,585 hectares -130,585 hectares -130,585 hectares 9
2000s -139,963 hectares -141,005 hectares -130,585 hectares 10
2010s -104,766 hectares -151,426 hectares -37,382 hectares 10
2020s -37,382 hectares -37,382 hectares -37,382 hectares 6

Countries ranked near Benin

  1. 199 Uganda -28,098 hectares compare
  2. 200 Ecuador -30,154 hectares compare
  3. 201 Laos -35,334 hectares compare
  4. 203 Liberia -40,580 hectares compare
  5. 204 Malawi -42,000 hectares compare
  6. 205 Central African Republic -46,523 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More environment data for Benin

All data for Benin →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area in Benin?
Annual change in forest area in Benin was -37,382 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual change in forest area recorded in Benin?
The highest recorded value was -37,382 hectares in 2021.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Benin?
The lowest recorded value was -151,426 hectares in 2011.
How does Benin rank for annual change in forest area?
Benin ranks 202nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Benin?
Over the last ten years it is up 75.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Benin 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 change in forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual change in forest area
Unit
hectares
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
235 places, 8,225 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.