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
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea, 1991–2025
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.
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -0.1% | — |
| 1992 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | -0.1% | +18.8% |
| 2002 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | -0.2% | +12.5% |
| 2012 | -0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | -0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | -0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | -0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | -0.1% | -21.9% |
| 2017 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | -0.1% | -51.6% |
| 2022 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | -0.1% | +0.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in South Korea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +51.6% | -0.1% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 157 Guyana -0.0% compare
- 158 French Guiana -0.1% compare
- 159 Bangladesh -0.1% compare
- 161 Panama -0.1% compare
- 162 Dominica -0.1% compare
- 163 East Timor -0.1% compare
More environment data for South Korea
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2791 % 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 -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2415 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
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
Annual net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.