Annual change in forest area in Rwanda
Rwanda: Annual change in forest area was 14,560 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual change in forest area in Rwanda, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 14,560 hectares for annual change in forest area in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Rwanda peaked at 14,560 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, -2,762 hectares, in 1991.
That places Rwanda 22nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in forest area in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -2,762 hectares | — |
| 1992 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -2,762 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 701 hectares | -125.4% |
| 2002 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 701 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14,558 hectares | +1976.8% |
| 2012 | 14,558 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 14,558 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14,558 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 14,558 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 14,560 hectares | +0.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 14,560 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is -19,726 hectares. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 14,560 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -7,546 hectares. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -2,762 hectares | -2,762 hectares | -2,762 hectares | 9 |
| 2000s | 354.7 hectares | -2,762 hectares | 701 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,173 hectares | 701 hectares | 14,560 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,560 hectares | 14,560 hectares | 14,560 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More environment data for Rwanda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -31.63 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.35 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.0359 % 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 -1.42 % 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 Rwanda?
- Annual change in forest area in Rwanda was 14,560 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 14,560 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was -2,762 hectares in 1991.
- How does Rwanda rank for annual change in forest area?
- Rwanda ranks 22nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.