Forest area in Madagascar
Madagascar: Forest area was 9.92 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Madagascar, 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 Madagascar stood at 9.92 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Madagascar peaked at 13.68 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 9.92 million hectares, in 2025.
That places Madagascar 54th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13.68 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 13.61 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 13.54 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 13.48 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 13.41 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 13.35 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 13.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 13.21 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 13.15 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 13.08 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 13.01 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 12.91 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 12.80 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 12.69 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 12.59 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 12.48 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 12.37 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 12.27 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 12.16 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 12.05 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.95 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 11.79 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 11.63 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 11.47 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 11.31 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 11.15 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 11.03 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 10.90 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 10.78 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 10.66 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 10.54 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 10.42 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 10.29 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 10.17 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 10.05 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 9.92 million hectares | -1.2% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 9.92 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.24 million hectares, 3.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 9.92 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million hectares, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.38 million hectares | 13.08 million hectares | 13.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.53 million hectares | 12.05 million hectares | 13.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.27 million hectares | 10.66 million hectares | 11.95 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.23 million hectares | 9.92 million hectares | 10.54 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More environment data for Madagascar
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.297 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.17 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2369 % 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 -1.01 % 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 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Madagascar?
- Forest area in Madagascar was 9.92 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 Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 13.68 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.92 million hectares in 2025.
- How does Madagascar rank for forest area?
- Madagascar ranks 54th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.