Annual change forest area in China
China: Annual change forest area was 1.61 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.61 million
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 235 countries
All-time high
2.36 million
in 2001
All-time low
1.61 million
in 2021
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Annual change forest area in China, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change forest area in China is 1.61 million, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change forest area in China peaked at 2.36 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.61 million, in 2021.
China ranks 1st of 235 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Annual change forest area in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.99 million | — |
| 1992 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.99 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.36 million | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.94 million | -18.0% |
| 2012 | 1.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.76 million | -9.1% |
| 2017 | 1.76 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.76 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.76 million | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.76 million | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.61 million | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 1.61 million | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.61 million | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.61 million | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1.61 million | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.99 million | 1.99 million | 1.99 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.32 million | 1.99 million | 2.36 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.91 million | 1.76 million | 2.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.64 million | 1.61 million | 1.76 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2791 hectares per person (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 41.82 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change forest area in China?
- Annual change forest area in China was 1.61 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change forest area recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.36 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest annual change forest area recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.61 million in 2021.
- How does China rank for annual change forest area?
- China ranks 1st out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change forest area rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change 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).