Annual forest expansion in Iceland
Iceland: Annual forest expansion was 960 hectares per year in 2020. ▼ Falling
Annual forest expansion in Iceland, 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
In 2020, annual forest expansion in Iceland stood at 960 hectares per year.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual forest expansion in Iceland peaked at 1,650 hectares per year in 2000 and was at its lowest, 690 hectares per year, in 2015.
That places Iceland 62nd out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Annual forest expansion in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,430 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 1,650 hectares per year | +15.4% |
| 2010 | 900 hectares per year | -45.5% |
| 2015 | 690 hectares per year | -23.3% |
| 2020 | 960 hectares per year | +39.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 960 hectares per year is below the median for high income countries, which is 2,880 hectares per year, 33% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 960 hectares per year is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5,130 hectares per year, 19% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,430 hectares per year | 1,430 hectares per year | 1,430 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 1,650 hectares per year | 1,650 hectares per year | 1,650 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 795 hectares per year | 690 hectares per year | 900 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 960 hectares per year | 960 hectares per year | 960 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 59 Saudi Arabia 1,500 hectares per year compare
- 60 Croatia 1,460 hectares per year compare
- 61 Guinea 1,000 hectares per year compare
- 63 Democratic Republic of Congo 610 hectares per year compare
- 64 Liechtenstein 400 hectares per year compare
- 65 Chad 300 hectares per year compare
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual forest expansion in Iceland?
- Annual forest expansion in Iceland was 960 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1,650 hectares per year in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual forest expansion recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 690 hectares per year in 2015.
- How does Iceland rank for annual forest expansion?
- Iceland ranks 62nd out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual forest expansion rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.
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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).