Change forest vs gdp in South Africa

South Africa: Change forest vs gdp was 0.3827 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.3827
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
26th
of 227 countries
All-time high
0.4399
in 1991
All-time low
0.3827
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Change forest vs gdp in South Africa, 1991–2025

00.10.20.30.41991200820251991: 0.441992: 0.4381993: 0.4361994: 0.4341995: 0.4321996: 0.431997: 0.4291998: 0.4271999: 0.4252000: 0.4232001: 0.4212002: 0.422003: 0.4182004: 0.4162005: 0.4142006: 0.4132007: 0.4112008: 0.4092009: 0.4082010: 0.4062011: 0.4042012: 0.4032013: 0.4012014: 0.42015: 0.3982016: 0.3962017: 0.3952018: 0.3932019: 0.3922020: 0.392021: 0.3892022: 0.3872023: 0.3862024: 0.3842025: 0.383

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.3827 for change forest vs gdp in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, change forest vs gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.4399 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.3827, in 2025.

South Africa ranks 26th of 227 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Change forest vs gdp in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Change forest vs gdp in South Africa, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 0.4399 —
1992 0.438 -0.4%
1993 0.4361 -0.4%
1994 0.4342 -0.4%
1995 0.4323 -0.4%
1996 0.4305 -0.4%
1997 0.4286 -0.4%
1998 0.4268 -0.4%
1999 0.425 -0.4%
2000 0.4232 -0.4%
2001 0.4214 -0.4%
2002 0.4196 -0.4%
2003 0.4179 -0.4%
2004 0.4161 -0.4%
2005 0.4144 -0.4%
2006 0.4127 -0.4%
2007 0.411 -0.4%
2008 0.4093 -0.4%
2009 0.4077 -0.4%
2010 0.406 -0.4%
2011 0.4044 -0.4%
2012 0.4027 -0.4%
2013 0.4011 -0.4%
2014 0.3995 -0.4%
2015 0.3979 -0.4%
2016 0.3963 -0.4%
2017 0.3948 -0.4%
2018 0.3932 -0.4%
2019 0.3917 -0.4%
2020 0.3902 -0.4%
2021 0.3886 -0.4%
2022 0.3871 -0.4%
2023 0.3856 -0.4%
2024 0.3842 -0.4%
2025 0.3827 -0.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.3827 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.3469. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4324 0.425 0.4399 9
2000s 0.4153 0.4077 0.4232 10
2010s 0.3988 0.3917 0.406 10
2020s 0.3864 0.3827 0.3902 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 23 Fiji 0.4075 compare
  2. 24 Kazakhstan 0.3948 compare
  3. 25 United Kingdom 0.3844 compare
  4. 27 Ukraine 0.3766 compare
  5. 28 Haiti 0.3762 compare
  6. 29 Guadeloupe 0.3571 compare

See the full ranking of 227 places →

More environment data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is change forest vs gdp in South Africa?
Change forest vs gdp in South Africa was 0.3827 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest change forest vs gdp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.4399 in 1991.
What is the lowest change forest vs gdp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3827 in 2025.
How does South Africa rank for change forest vs gdp?
South Africa ranks 26th out of 227 countries with data for 2025.
Is change forest vs gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Change forest vs gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Change forest vs gdp in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 November 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/change-forest-vs-gdp/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Change forest vs gdp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
227 places, 7,945 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed