Forest area in Japan
Japan: Forest area was 24.91 million hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
24.91 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
25th
of 235 countries
All-time high
24.97 million hectares
in 2010
All-time low
24.88 million hectares
in 2000
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 24.91 million hectares.
The figure is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Japan peaked at 24.97 million hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 24.88 million hectares, in 2000.
That places Japan 25th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Forest area in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24.95 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 24.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 24.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 24.93 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 24.92 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 24.90 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 24.89 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 24.88 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 24.88 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 24.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 24.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 24.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 24.91 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 24.92 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 24.93 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 24.94 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 24.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 24.96 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 24.97 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 24.96 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 24.96 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 24.95 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 24.95 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 24.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 24.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 24.93 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 24.93 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 24.92 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 24.92 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 24.92 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 24.91 million hectares | -0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 24.91 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 436,060 hectares, 57.1× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Japan's 24.91 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.14 million hectares, 21.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.92 million hectares | 24.88 million hectares | 24.95 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.92 million hectares | 24.88 million hectares | 24.96 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.95 million hectares | 24.92 million hectares | 24.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.91 million hectares | 24.91 million hectares | 24.92 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.8 % 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 -0.4957 % 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 Japan?
- Forest area in Japan was 24.91 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 24.97 million hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.88 million hectares in 2000.
- How does Japan rank for forest area?
- Japan ranks 25th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan 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.