Annual change in forest area in Malawi

Malawi: Annual change in forest area was -42,000 hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
-42,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
204th
of 235 countries
All-time high
-42,000 hectares
in 2001
All-time low
-42,006 hectares
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Annual change in forest area in Malawi, 1991–2025

-42.0k-42.0k-42.0k-42.0k1991200820251991: -42.0k hectares1992: -42.0k hectares1993: -42.0k hectares1994: -42.0k hectares1995: -42.0k hectares1996: -42.0k hectares1997: -42.0k hectares1998: -42.0k hectares1999: -42.0k hectares2000: -42.0k hectares2001: -42.0k hectares2002: -42.0k hectares2003: -42.0k hectares2004: -42.0k hectares2005: -42.0k hectares2006: -42.0k hectares2007: -42.0k hectares2008: -42.0k hectares2009: -42.0k hectares2010: -42.0k hectares2011: -42.0k hectares2012: -42.0k hectares2013: -42.0k hectares2014: -42.0k hectares2015: -42.0k hectares2016: -42.0k hectares2017: -42.0k hectares2018: -42.0k hectares2019: -42.0k hectares2020: -42.0k hectares2021: -42.0k hectares2022: -42.0k hectares2023: -42.0k hectares2024: -42.0k hectares2025: -42.0k hectares

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded -42,000 hectares for annual change in forest area in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Malawi peaked at -42,000 hectares in 2001 and was at its lowest, -42,006 hectares, in 1991.

That places Malawi 204th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -42,006 hectares -42,006 hectares -42,006 hectares 9
2000s -42,001 hectares -42,006 hectares -42,000 hectares 10
2010s -42,000 hectares -42,000 hectares -42,000 hectares 10
2020s -42,000 hectares -42,000 hectares -42,000 hectares 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 201 Laos -35,334 hectares compare
  2. 202 Benin -37,382 hectares compare
  3. 203 Liberia -40,580 hectares compare
  4. 205 Central African Republic -46,523 hectares compare
  5. 206 Venezuela -49,292 hectares compare
  6. 207 Honduras -50,220 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More environment data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area in Malawi?
Annual change in forest area in Malawi was -42,000 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 Malawi?
The highest recorded value was -42,000 hectares in 2001.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was -42,006 hectares in 1991.
How does Malawi rank for annual change in forest area?
Malawi ranks 204th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Malawi 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.