Share of land covered by forest in Canada
Canada: Share of land covered by forest was 42.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
42.0%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
76th
of 216 countries
All-time high
42.0%
in 2020
All-time low
41.0%
in 2000
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Share of land covered by forest in Canada, 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 Canada stood at 42.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Canada peaked at 42.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 41.0%, in 2000.
Canada ranks 76th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of land covered by forest in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41.1% | — |
| 1991 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 41.0% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 41.1% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 41.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 41.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 41.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 41.3% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 41.3% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 41.4% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 41.5% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 41.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 41.6% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 41.7% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 41.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 41.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 41.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 41.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 41.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 41.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 42.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 42.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 42.0% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 42.0% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 42.0% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 42.0% | -0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 42.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.2%, 1.3× the median. (83 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.0% | 41.0% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.3% | 41.0% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.8% | 41.6% | 42.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.0% | 42.0% | 42.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 73 French Polynesia 43.1% compare
- 74 Saint Kitts and Nevis 42.3% compare
- 75 Bosnia and Herzegovina 42.2% compare
- 77 Myanmar 41.5% compare
- 78 Serbia 41.3% compare
- 79 Mozambique 41.0% compare
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 2.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.7 % 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 -0.3398 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Canada?
- Share of land covered by forest in Canada was 42.0% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 42.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.0% in 2000.
- How does Canada rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Canada ranks 76th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada 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.