Forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of)
China (People’s Republic of): Forest area as share of land area was 24.2 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of), 1000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of) stood at 24.2.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 31 in 1000 and was at its lowest, 9.3, in 1960.
That places China (People’s Republic of) 125th 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 57 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 31 | 31 | 31 | 1 |
| 1050s | 30.5 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 1 |
| 1100s | 30.2 | 30.2 | 30.2 | 1 |
| 1150s | 29.7 | 29.7 | 29.7 | 1 |
| 1200s | 29.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 1 |
| 1250s | 28.6 | 28.6 | 28.6 | 1 |
| 1300s | 28.2 | 28.2 | 28.2 | 1 |
| 1350s | 27.8 | 27.8 | 27.8 | 1 |
| 1400s | 27.4 | 27.4 | 27.4 | 1 |
| 1450s | 26.9 | 26.9 | 26.9 | 1 |
| 1500s | 26.6 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 1 |
| 1550s | 26.1 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 1 |
| 1600s | 26 | 26 | 26 | 1 |
| 1650s | 24.9 | 24.9 | 24.9 | 1 |
| 1700s | 23.5 | 23.5 | 23.5 | 1 |
| 1750s | 22.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 1 |
| 1800s | 20.6 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 1 |
| 1850s | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 1 |
| 1900s | 15.3 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 1 |
| 1950s | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 1 |
| 1960s | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 1 |
| 1990s | 17.69 | 16.74 | 18.64 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.99 | 18.85 | 21.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.28 | 21.37 | 23.15 | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.77 | 23.34 | 24.2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)
More environment data for China (People’s Republic of)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Recovered paper — Production 73.29 million t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 105.03 million t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value 177,011 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import quantity 91,039 t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Export value 6.10 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Export quantity 6.54 million t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value 5.76 million 1000 USD (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Forest area as share of land area in China (People’s Republic of) was 24.2 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area as share of land area recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The highest recorded value was 31 in 1000.
- What is the lowest forest area as share of land area recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3 in 1960.
- How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for forest area as share of land area?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 125th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area as share of land area rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area as share of land area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).