Change forest area share total in Iceland
Iceland: Change forest area share total was 1.57 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Change forest area share total in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, change forest area share total in Iceland stood at 1.57.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change forest area share total in Iceland peaked at 7.38 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.21, in 2020.
That places Iceland 4th out of 228 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Change forest area share total in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.38 | — |
| 1992 | 6.87 | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 6.43 | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 6.04 | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 5.7 | -5.7% |
| 1996 | 5.39 | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 5.12 | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 4.87 | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 4.64 | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 4.44 | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 4.88 | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 4.65 | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 4.44 | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 4.25 | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 4.08 | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 3.92 | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 3.77 | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 3.64 | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 3.51 | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 3.39 | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 1.81 | -46.6% |
| 2012 | 1.78 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 1.75 | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.72 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.69 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.27 | -24.6% |
| 2017 | 1.26 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.24 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.23 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.21 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.67 | +38.2% |
| 2022 | 1.65 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1.62 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 1.59 | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 1.57 | -1.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.57 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0714, 22.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Change forest area share total in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | -46.6% | 3.39 | 1.81 |
| 2021 | +38.2% | 1.21 | 1.67 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.83 | 4.64 | 7.38 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.16 | 3.51 | 4.88 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.71 | 1.23 | 3.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.55 | 1.21 | 1.67 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- 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 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 4.46 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 17.37 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is change forest area share total in Iceland?
- Change forest area share total in Iceland was 1.57 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest change forest area share total recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.38 in 1991.
- What is the lowest change forest area share total recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for change forest area share total?
- Iceland ranks 4th out of 228 countries with data for 2025.
- Is change forest area share total rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Change forest area share total. 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).