Forest area in Ireland
Ireland: Forest area was 832,850 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area in Ireland stood at 832,850 hectares. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Ireland peaked at 832,850 hectares in 2025 and was at its lowest, 461,640 hectares, in 1990.
That places Ireland 132nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 461,640 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 478,512 hectares | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 495,384 hectares | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 512,256 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 529,128 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 546,000 hectares | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 562,872 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 579,744 hectares | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 596,616 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 613,488 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 630,360 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 639,362 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 648,364 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 657,366 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 666,368 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 675,370 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 684,372 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 693,374 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 702,376 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 711,378 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 720,380 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 727,238 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 734,096 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 740,954 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 747,812 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 754,670 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 762,400 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 770,130 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 777,860 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 785,590 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 793,320 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 801,226 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 809,132 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 817,038 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 824,944 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 832,850 hectares | +1.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 832,850 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 436,060 hectares, 1.9× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 832,850 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.12 million hectares, 39% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 537,564 hectares | 461,640 hectares | 613,488 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 670,869 hectares | 630,360 hectares | 711,378 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 752,113 hectares | 720,380 hectares | 785,590 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 813,085 hectares | 793,320 hectares | 832,850 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Ireland?
- Forest area in Ireland was 832,850 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 832,850 hectares in 2025.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 461,640 hectares in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for forest area?
- Ireland ranks 132nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.