Change forest area share total in Laos
Laos: Change forest area share total was -0.271 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Change forest area share total in Laos, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, change forest area share total in Laos stood at -0.271.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 37.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change forest area share total in Laos peaked at -0.235 in 2016 and was at its lowest, -0.4356, in 2015.
Laos ranks 181st of 228 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Change forest area share total in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -0.2431 | — |
| 1992 | -0.2437 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | -0.2443 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | -0.2449 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | -0.2455 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | -0.2461 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | -0.2467 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | -0.2473 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | -0.248 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | -0.2486 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | -0.278 | +11.8% |
| 2002 | -0.2787 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | -0.2795 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | -0.2803 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | -0.2811 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | -0.2819 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | -0.2827 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | -0.2835 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | -0.2843 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | -0.2851 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | -0.4281 | +50.2% |
| 2012 | -0.43 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | -0.4318 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | -0.4337 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | -0.4356 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | -0.235 | -46.1% |
| 2017 | -0.2355 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | -0.2361 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | -0.2366 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | -0.2372 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | -0.2681 | +13.1% |
| 2022 | -0.2689 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | -0.2696 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | -0.2703 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | -0.271 | +0.3% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's -0.271 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.0292, 9.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Change forest area share total in Laos 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 | -50.2% | -0.2851 | -0.4281 |
| 2016 | +46.1% | -0.4356 | -0.235 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.2455 | -0.248 | -0.2431 | 9 |
| 2000s | -0.2778 | -0.2843 | -0.2486 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.3388 | -0.4356 | -0.235 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2642 | -0.271 | -0.2372 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More environment data for Laos
- 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 0.086 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 2.93 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9142 % 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 Laos?
- Change forest area share total in Laos was -0.271 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest change forest area share total recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was -0.235 in 2016.
- What is the lowest change forest area share total recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.4356 in 2015.
- How does Laos rank for change forest area share total?
- Laos ranks 181st out of 228 countries with data for 2025.
- Is change forest area share total rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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).