Share of land covered by forest in Benin
Benin: Share of land covered by forest was 27.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land covered by forest in Benin, 1990–2025
Source: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of land covered by forest in Benin stood at 27.8%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Benin peaked at 61.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 2025.
That places Benin 117th out of 216 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Share of land covered by forest in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 61.9% | — |
| 1991 | 60.7% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 59.6% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 58.4% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 57.3% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 56.1% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 55.0% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 53.8% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 51.5% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 50.3% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 49.1% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 47.8% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 46.6% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 45.3% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 44.1% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 42.8% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 41.6% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 40.3% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 39.1% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 37.8% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 36.5% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 32.4% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 31.1% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 30.8% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 30.1% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 29.8% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 29.4% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 29.1% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 28.8% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 28.5% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 28.1% | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 27.8% | -1.2% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 27.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.2%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 27.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.0%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.7% | 51.5% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.7% | 39.1% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.8% | 29.8% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.6% | 27.8% | 29.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More environment data for Benin
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.6 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.29 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.38 % 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 2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Benin?
- Share of land covered by forest in Benin was 27.8% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 61.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 2025.
- How does Benin rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Benin ranks 117th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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.