Annual forest expansion in Portugal
Portugal: Annual forest expansion was 42,050 hectares per year in 2020. ▲ Rising
Annual forest expansion in Portugal, 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 Portugal stood at 42,050 hectares per year.
That represents a change of down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual forest expansion in Portugal peaked at 51,630 hectares per year in 2010 and was at its lowest, 32,740 hectares per year, in 2000.
Portugal ranks 12th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Annual forest expansion in Portugal, year by year
| Year | hectares per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 37,070 hectares per year | — |
| 2000 | 32,740 hectares per year | -11.7% |
| 2010 | 51,630 hectares per year | +57.7% |
| 2015 | 40,910 hectares per year | -20.8% |
| 2020 | 42,050 hectares per year | +2.8% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 42,050 hectares per year is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,880 hectares per year, 14.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 42,050 hectares per year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5,130 hectares per year, 8.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37,070 hectares per year | 37,070 hectares per year | 37,070 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2000s | 32,740 hectares per year | 32,740 hectares per year | 32,740 hectares per year | 1 |
| 2010s | 46,270 hectares per year | 40,910 hectares per year | 51,630 hectares per year | 2 |
| 2020s | 42,050 hectares per year | 42,050 hectares per year | 42,050 hectares per year | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More environment data for Portugal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.6043 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.5127 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.44 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.29 % 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 0.1607 % 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 Portugal?
- Annual forest expansion in Portugal was 42,050 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 51,630 hectares per year in 2010.
- What is the lowest annual forest expansion recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 32,740 hectares per year in 2000.
- How does Portugal rank for annual forest expansion?
- Portugal ranks 12th out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual forest expansion rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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).