Share of land covered by forest in Australia
Australia: Share of land covered by forest was 17.4% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
17.4%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
141st
of 216 countries
All-time high
17.5%
in 1990
All-time low
17.1%
in 2010
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Share of land covered by forest in Australia, 1990–2025
Source: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 17.4% for share of land covered by forest in 2025.
The figure is up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Australia peaked at 17.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 17.1%, in 2010.
That places Australia 141st out of 216 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of land covered by forest in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.5% | — |
| 1991 | 17.5% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 17.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 17.1% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 17.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 17.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 17.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 17.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 17.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.4% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 17.4% | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 17.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 33.2%, 52% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Australia's 17.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 52.4%, 33% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.4% | 17.3% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.2% | 17.1% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.2% | 17.1% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 138 Comoros 17.9% compare
- 139 Antigua and Barbuda 17.7% compare
- 140 Ukraine 17.4% compare
- 142 Madagascar 17.1% compare
- 143 Argentina 17.0% compare
- 144 San Marino 16.7% compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % 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 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Australia?
- Share of land covered by forest in Australia was 17.4% in 2025, according to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land covered by forest recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1% in 2010.
- How does Australia rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Australia ranks 141st out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by forest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.