Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea

South Korea: Annual deforestation as a share of forest area was 0.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.1%
World rank
63rd
of 105 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2010
All-time low
0.1%
in 2020
Years of data
5
1990–2020

Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea, 1990–2020

00.050.10.151990200520201990: 0.114 %2000: 0.137 %2010: 0.157 %2015: 0.123 %2020: 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 deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea is 0.1%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of down 61.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea peaked at 0.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2020.

That places South Korea 63rd out of 105 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
2000s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 2
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 60 Hungary 0.1% compare
  2. 62 Chile 0.1% compare
  3. 64 Norway 0.1% compare
  4. 65 Gabon 0.0% compare
  5. 66 Guyana 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 105 places →

More environment data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea?
Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in South Korea was 0.1% in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2010.
What is the lowest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2020.
How does South Korea rank for annual deforestation as a share of forest area?
South Korea ranks 63rd out of 105 countries with data for 2020.
Is annual deforestation as a share of forest area rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 61.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 deforestation as a share of forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual deforestation 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
105 places, 525 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

Annual deforestation as share of forest area represents the yearly percentage of forest area lost due to deforestation relative to the total forest area.