Forest area in China
China: Forest area was 227.15 million hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
227.15 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
5th
of 235 countries
All-time high
227.15 million hectares
in 2025
All-time low
157.14 million hectares
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in China, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
China recorded 227.15 million hectares for forest area in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in China peaked at 227.15 million hectares in 2025 and was at its lowest, 157.14 million hectares, in 1990.
That places China 5th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 157.14 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 159.13 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 161.11 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 163.10 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 165.09 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 167.07 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 169.06 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 171.04 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 173.03 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 175.01 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 177.00 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 179.36 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 181.72 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 184.08 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 186.44 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 188.81 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 191.17 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 193.53 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 195.89 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 198.25 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 200.61 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 202.55 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 204.48 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 206.42 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 208.36 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 210.29 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 212.06 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 213.82 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 215.58 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 217.34 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 219.10 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 220.71 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 222.32 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 223.93 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 225.54 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 227.15 million hectares | +0.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 227.15 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.29 million hectares, 99.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 227.15 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.14 million hectares, 199.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 166.08 million hectares | 157.14 million hectares | 175.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 187.62 million hectares | 177.00 million hectares | 198.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 209.15 million hectares | 200.61 million hectares | 217.34 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 223.13 million hectares | 219.10 million hectares | 227.15 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in China?
- Forest area in China was 227.15 million hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 227.15 million hectares in 2025.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 157.14 million hectares in 1990.
- How does China rank for forest area?
- China ranks 5th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area. 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
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems.