Forest area km in South Korea
South Korea: Forest area km was 6.28 million in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6.28 million
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
68th
of 235 countries
All-time high
6.55 million
in 1990
All-time low
6.28 million
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area km in South Korea, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area km in South Korea stood at 6.28 million. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area km in South Korea peaked at 6.55 million in 1990 and was at its lowest, 6.28 million, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 68th of 235 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Forest area km in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.55 million | — |
| 1991 | 6.54 million | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 6.54 million | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 6.53 million | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 6.52 million | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 6.51 million | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 6.51 million | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 6.50 million | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 6.49 million | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 6.48 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 6.48 million | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 6.47 million | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 6.46 million | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 6.45 million | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.44 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 6.43 million | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 6.42 million | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 6.41 million | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 6.40 million | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 6.40 million | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 6.39 million | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 6.38 million | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 6.37 million | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 6.36 million | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 6.35 million | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.34 million | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 6.33 million | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 6.32 million | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 6.31 million | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 6.31 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.30 million | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 6.29 million | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.29 million | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 6.29 million | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 6.28 million | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 6.28 million | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.28 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 436,060, 14.4× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6.28 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.14 million, 5.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.52 million | 6.48 million | 6.55 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.44 million | 6.40 million | 6.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.34 million | 6.31 million | 6.39 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.29 million | 6.28 million | 6.30 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More environment data for South Korea
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0011 hectares per person (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 0.5738 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2791 % 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 -2.27 % 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 km in South Korea?
- Forest area km in South Korea was 6.28 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area km recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.55 million in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area km recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.28 million in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for forest area km?
- South Korea ranks 68th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area km rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area km. 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).