Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea

South Korea: Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area was -0.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
-0.1%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
160th
of 228 countries
All-time high
-0.1%
in 2021
All-time low
-0.2%
in 2015
Years of data
35
1991–2025

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

-0.16-0.14-0.12-0.1-0.08-0.061991200820251991: -0.115 %1992: -0.115 %1993: -0.115 %1994: -0.115 %1995: -0.115 %1996: -0.115 %1997: -0.115 %1998: -0.116 %1999: -0.116 %2000: -0.116 %2001: -0.138 %2002: -0.138 %2003: -0.138 %2004: -0.138 %2005: -0.138 %2006: -0.139 %2007: -0.139 %2008: -0.139 %2009: -0.139 %2010: -0.139 %2011: -0.157 %2012: -0.157 %2013: -0.157 %2014: -0.158 %2015: -0.158 %2016: -0.123 %2017: -0.123 %2018: -0.124 %2019: -0.124 %2020: -0.124 %2021: -0.06 %2022: -0.06 %2023: -0.06 %2024: -0.06 %2025: -0.06 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea is -0.1%, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 61.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea peaked at -0.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2015.

That places South Korea 160th out of 228 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -0.1% -0.1% -0.1% 9
2000s -0.1% -0.1% -0.1% 10
2010s -0.1% -0.2% -0.1% 10
2020s -0.1% -0.1% -0.1% 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 157 Guyana -0.0% compare
  2. 158 French Guiana -0.1% compare
  3. 159 Bangladesh -0.1% compare
  4. 161 Panama -0.1% compare
  5. 162 Dominica -0.1% compare
  6. 163 East Timor -0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More environment data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea?
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea was -0.1% 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 South Korea?
The highest recorded value was -0.1% in 2021.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area as a share of forest area recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2015.
How does South Korea rank for annual change in forest area as a share of forest area?
South Korea ranks 160th out of 228 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 61.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea 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.