Annual forest expansion in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Annual forest expansion was 8,050 hectares per year in 2020. ▲ Rising
Annual forest expansion in Burkina Faso, 1990–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per year.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 8,050 hectares per year for annual forest expansion in 2020.
The figure is down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual forest expansion in Burkina Faso peaked at 11,060 hectares per year in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3,720 hectares per year, in 1990.
Burkina Faso ranks 32nd of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Annual forest expansion in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,720 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 11,060 hectares per year | +197.3% |
| 2010 | 9,600 hectares per year | -13.2% |
| 2015 | 8,510 hectares per year | -11.4% |
| 2020 | 8,050 hectares per year | -5.4% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 8,050 hectares per year is above the median for low income countries, which is 4,330 hectares per year, 1.9× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 8,050 hectares per year is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,500 hectares per year, 5.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,720 hectares per year | 3,720 hectares per year | 3,720 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 11,060 hectares per year | 11,060 hectares per year | 11,060 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 9,055 hectares per year | 8,510 hectares per year | 9,600 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 8,050 hectares per year | 8,050 hectares per year | 8,050 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More environment data for Burkina Faso
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.18 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.331 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9413 % 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 -0.3634 % 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 forest expansion in Burkina Faso?
- Annual forest expansion in Burkina Faso was 8,050 hectares per year in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual forest expansion recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 11,060 hectares per year in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual forest expansion recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,720 hectares per year in 1990.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for annual forest expansion?
- Burkina Faso ranks 32nd out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual forest expansion rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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 forest expansion. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Forest expansion is the sum of afforestation (the establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding) and natural forest expansion (expansion of forests through natural succession on land that, until then, was under another land use).