Annual forest expansion in Norway

Norway: Annual forest expansion was 4,620 hectares per year in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
4,620 hectares per year
World rank
48th
of 110 countries
All-time high
4,640 hectares per year
in 2015
All-time low
1,650 hectares per year
in 2000
Years of data
5
1990–2020

Annual forest expansion in Norway, 1990–2020

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k1990200520201990: 2.9k hectares per year2000: 1.6k hectares per year2010: 3.6k hectares per year2015: 4.6k hectares per year2020: 4.6k hectares per year

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 Norway stood at 4,620 hectares per year.

The figure is up 28.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual forest expansion in Norway peaked at 4,640 hectares per year in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1,650 hectares per year, in 2000.

That places Norway 48th out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,850 hectares per year 2,850 hectares per year 2,850 hectares per year 1
2000s 1,650 hectares per year 1,650 hectares per year 1,650 hectares per year 1
2010s 4,115 hectares per year 3,590 hectares per year 4,640 hectares per year 2
2020s 4,620 hectares per year 4,620 hectares per year 4,620 hectares per year 1

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 45 El Salvador 5,780 hectares per year compare
  2. 46 Romania 5,640 hectares per year compare
  3. 47 Gabon 4,970 hectares per year compare
  4. 49 Jamaica 4,420 hectares per year compare
  5. 50 Denmark 4,260 hectares per year compare
  6. 51 Switzerland 2,880 hectares per year compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More environment data for Norway

All data for Norway →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual forest expansion in Norway?
Annual forest expansion in Norway was 4,620 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 Norway?
The highest recorded value was 4,640 hectares per year in 2015.
What is the lowest annual forest expansion recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 1,650 hectares per year in 2000.
How does Norway rank for annual forest expansion?
Norway ranks 48th out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
Is annual forest expansion rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Norway 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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About this data

Indicator
Annual forest expansion
Unit
hectares per year
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
110 places, 550 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

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).