Annual change in forest area in Italy
Italy: Annual change in forest area was 12,490 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
12,490 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
27th
of 235 countries
All-time high
90,502 hectares
in 2016
All-time low
-24,208 hectares
in 2011
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Annual change in forest area in Italy, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Italy recorded 12,490 hectares for annual change in forest area in 2025.
That represents a change of up 151.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Italy peaked at 90,502 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, -24,208 hectares, in 2011.
That places Italy 27th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in forest area in Italy, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 77,950 hectares | — |
| 1992 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 77,950 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 65,879 hectares | -15.5% |
| 2002 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 65,879 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | -24,208 hectares | -136.7% |
| 2012 | -24,208 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -24,208 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -24,208 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -24,208 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 90,502 hectares | -473.9% |
| 2017 | 90,502 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 90,502 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 90,502 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 90,502 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12,490 hectares | -86.2% |
| 2022 | 12,490 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12,490 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12,490 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12,490 hectares | +0.0% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 12,490 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,002 hectares, 12.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 77,950 hectares | 77,950 hectares | 77,950 hectares | 9 |
| 2000s | 67,086 hectares | 65,879 hectares | 77,950 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 30,685 hectares | -24,208 hectares | 90,502 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,492 hectares | 12,490 hectares | 90,502 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 24 Kazakhstan 13,900 hectares compare
- 25 Bulgaria 12,600 hectares compare
- 25 United Kingdom 12,600 hectares compare
- 28 North Korea 11,356 hectares compare
- 29 Azerbaijan 10,494 hectares compare
- 30 Czechia 9,040 hectares compare
More environment data for Italy
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.47 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.324 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.18 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.94 % 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 -0.2257 % 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 change in forest area in Italy?
- Annual change in forest area in Italy was 12,490 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 90,502 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was -24,208 hectares in 2011.
- How does Italy rank for annual change in forest area?
- Italy ranks 27th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 151.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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
Net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.