Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland

Ireland: Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.9%
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
10th
of 228 regions
All-time high
3.5%
in 1991
All-time low
0.9%
in 2015
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland, 1991–2025

12341991200820251991: 3.5 %1992: 3.4 %1993: 3.3 %1994: 3.2 %1995: 3.1 %1996: 3 %1997: 2.9 %1998: 2.8 %1999: 2.8 %2000: 2.7 %2001: 1.4 %2002: 1.4 %2003: 1.4 %2004: 1.4 %2005: 1.3 %2006: 1.3 %2007: 1.3 %2008: 1.3 %2009: 1.3 %2010: 1.2 %2011: 0.943 %2012: 0.934 %2013: 0.926 %2014: 0.917 %2015: 0.909 %2016: 1 %2017: 1 %2018: 0.994 %2019: 0.984 %2020: 0.974 %2021: 0.987 %2022: 0.977 %2023: 0.968 %2024: 0.958 %2025: 0.949 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland stood at 0.9%.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland peaked at 3.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2015.

Ireland ranks 10th of 228 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.1% 2.8% 3.5% 9
2000s 1.5% 1.3% 2.7% 10
2010s 1.0% 0.9% 1.2% 10
2020s 1.0% 0.9% 1.0% 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 7 Cape Verde 1.2% compare
  2. 8 Serbia 1.1% compare
  3. 9 Uzbekistan 1.1% compare
  4. 11 Uruguay 0.9% compare
  5. 12 Azerbaijan 0.9% compare
  6. 13 Wallis and Futuna 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland?
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in Ireland was 0.9% in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual change in forest area as a share of forest area recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1991.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area as a share of forest area recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2015.
How does Ireland rank for annual change in forest area as a share of forest area?
Ireland ranks 10th out of 228 regions with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ireland 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 change in forest area as a share of forest area. 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).

About this data

Indicator
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area
Unit
%
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
228 places, 7,980 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Annual net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.