Share of land covered by forest in Ecuador
Ecuador: Share of land covered by forest was 49.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land covered by forest in Ecuador, 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 Ecuador stood at 49.6%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Ecuador peaked at 58.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 49.6%, in 2025.
Ecuador ranks 61st of 216 countries on this measure, 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 Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 58.9% | — |
| 1991 | 58.6% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 58.2% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 57.8% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 57.5% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 57.1% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 56.7% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 56.4% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 56.0% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 55.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 55.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 55.0% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 54.7% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 54.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 54.2% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 53.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 53.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 53.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 53.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 52.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 52.3% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 52.1% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 52.0% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 51.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 51.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 51.3% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 51.0% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 50.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 50.5% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 50.2% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 50.1% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 49.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 49.8% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 49.7% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 49.6% | -0.2% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 49.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 35.5%, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 49.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 49.4%, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.3% | 55.6% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.0% | 52.7% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.6% | 50.5% | 52.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.9% | 49.6% | 50.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More environment data for Ecuador
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3767 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.4 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.49 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -0.5742 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.65 % 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 -1.14 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Ecuador?
- Share of land covered by forest in Ecuador was 49.6% 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 58.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.6% in 2025.
- How does Ecuador rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Ecuador ranks 61st out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.
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About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.