Annual change in forest area vs. GDP per capita in Iceland

Iceland: Annual change in forest area vs. GDP per capita was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1.6%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
3rd
of 227 countries
All-time high
7.4%
in 1991
All-time low
1.2%
in 2020
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Annual change in forest area vs. GDP per capita in Iceland, 1991–2025

24681991200820251991: 7.4 %1992: 6.9 %1993: 6.4 %1994: 6 %1995: 5.7 %1996: 5.4 %1997: 5.1 %1998: 4.9 %1999: 4.6 %2000: 4.4 %2001: 4.9 %2002: 4.7 %2003: 4.4 %2004: 4.3 %2005: 4.1 %2006: 3.9 %2007: 3.8 %2008: 3.6 %2009: 3.5 %2010: 3.4 %2011: 1.8 %2012: 1.8 %2013: 1.7 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.7 %2016: 1.3 %2017: 1.3 %2018: 1.2 %2019: 1.2 %2020: 1.2 %2021: 1.7 %2022: 1.6 %2023: 1.6 %2024: 1.6 %2025: 1.6 %

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 vs. gdp per capita in Iceland stood at 1.6%.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita in Iceland peaked at 7.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2020.

That places Iceland 3rd out of 227 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.8% 4.6% 7.4% 9
2000s 4.2% 3.5% 4.9% 10
2010s 1.7% 1.2% 3.4% 10
2020s 1.6% 1.2% 1.7% 6

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 1 Rwanda 2.3% compare
  2. 2 Kenya 1.6% compare
  3. 5 Israel 1.3% compare
  4. 6 Cape Verde 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 227 places →

More environment data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita in Iceland?
Annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita in Iceland was 1.6% 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 vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 1991.
What is the lowest annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2020.
How does Iceland rank for annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita?
Iceland ranks 3rd out of 227 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual change in forest area vs. gdp per capita 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 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 vs. GDP per capita. 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 vs. GDP per capita
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
227 places, 7,945 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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