Forest area in Iceland
Iceland: Forest area was 61,480 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Iceland, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 61,480 hectares for forest area in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Iceland peaked at 61,480 hectares in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17,930 hectares, in 1990.
Iceland ranks 168th of 235 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17,930 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 19,359 hectares | +8.0% |
| 1992 | 20,788 hectares | +7.4% |
| 1993 | 22,217 hectares | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 23,646 hectares | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 25,075 hectares | +6.0% |
| 1996 | 26,504 hectares | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 27,933 hectares | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 29,362 hectares | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 30,791 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 32,220 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 33,872 hectares | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 35,524 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 37,176 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 38,828 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 40,480 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 42,132 hectares | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 43,784 hectares | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 45,436 hectares | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 47,088 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 48,740 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 49,638 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 50,536 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 51,434 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 52,332 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 53,230 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 53,916 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 54,602 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 55,288 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 55,974 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 56,660 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 57,624 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 58,588 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 59,552 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 60,516 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 61,480 hectares | +1.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 61,480 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 436,060 hectares, 14% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 61,480 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.12 million hectares, 3% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24,360 hectares | 17,930 hectares | 30,791 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,654 hectares | 32,220 hectares | 47,088 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 52,569 hectares | 48,740 hectares | 55,974 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 59,070 hectares | 56,660 hectares | 61,480 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 165 Guadeloupe 75,600 hectares compare
- 166 Jordan 70,700 hectares compare
- 167 Micronesia (country) 64,570 hectares compare
- 169 Dominica 57,350 hectares compare
- 170 Sao Tome and Principe 55,280 hectares compare
- 171 Martinique 52,670 hectares compare
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Iceland?
- Forest area in Iceland was 61,480 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 61,480 hectares in 2025.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,930 hectares in 1990.
- How does Iceland rank for forest area?
- Iceland ranks 168th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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.