Annual change forest area in South Africa
South Africa: Annual change forest area was 87,566 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
87,566
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 235 countries
All-time high
87,568
in 1991
All-time low
87,566
in 2016
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Annual change forest area in South Africa, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change forest area in South Africa is 87,566, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change forest area in South Africa peaked at 87,568 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 87,566, in 2016.
That places South Africa 5th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Annual change forest area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 87,568 | — |
| 1992 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 87,568 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 87,566 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 87,566 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 87,566 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -7,546. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 87,568 | 87,568 | 87,568 | 9 |
| 2000s | 87,568 | 87,568 | 87,568 | 10 |
| 2010s | 87,567 | 87,566 | 87,568 | 10 |
| 2020s | 87,566 | 87,566 | 87,566 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- 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 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 1.3 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 69.19 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change forest area in South Africa?
- Annual change forest area in South Africa was 87,566 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 87,568 in 1991.
- What is the lowest annual change forest area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 87,566 in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for annual change forest area?
- South Africa ranks 5th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change forest area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa 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).