Forest area in South Korea
South Korea: Forest area was 6.28 million hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6.28 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
68th
of 235 countries
All-time high
6.55 million hectares
in 1990
All-time low
6.28 million hectares
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in South Korea, 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 South Korea stood at 6.28 million hectares. 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 in South Korea peaked at 6.55 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 6.28 million hectares, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 68th of 235 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Forest area in South Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.55 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 6.54 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 6.54 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 6.53 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 6.52 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 6.51 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 6.51 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 6.50 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 6.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 6.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 6.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 6.47 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 6.46 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 6.45 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.44 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 6.43 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 6.42 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 6.41 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 6.40 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 6.40 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 6.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 6.38 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 6.37 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 6.36 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 6.35 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.34 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 6.33 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 6.32 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 6.31 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 6.31 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.30 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 6.29 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.29 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 6.29 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 6.28 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 6.28 million hectares | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.28 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 436,060 hectares, 14.4× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6.28 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.14 million hectares, 5.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.52 million hectares | 6.48 million hectares | 6.55 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.44 million hectares | 6.40 million hectares | 6.48 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.34 million hectares | 6.31 million hectares | 6.39 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.29 million hectares | 6.28 million hectares | 6.30 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More environment data for South Korea
- 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2415 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in South Korea?
- Forest area in South Korea was 6.28 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.55 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.28 million hectares in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for forest area?
- South Korea ranks 68th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area 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 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.