Forest area in Tanzania
Tanzania: Forest area was 43.40 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
43.40 million hectares
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
19th
of 235 countries
All-time high
58.16 million hectares
in 1990
All-time low
43.40 million hectares
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania stood at 43.40 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Tanzania peaked at 58.16 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 43.40 million hectares, in 2025.
Tanzania ranks 19th of 235 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 58.16 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 57.76 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 57.36 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 56.96 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 56.55 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 56.15 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 55.75 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 55.34 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 54.94 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 54.54 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 54.13 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 53.73 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 53.33 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 52.93 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 52.52 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 52.12 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 51.72 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 51.31 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 50.91 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 50.51 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 50.10 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 49.70 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 49.30 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 48.90 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 48.49 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 48.09 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 47.62 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 47.15 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 46.68 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 46.21 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 45.74 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 45.28 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 44.81 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 44.34 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 43.87 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 43.40 million hectares | -1.1% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 43.40 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.89 million hectares, 11.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 43.40 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million hectares, 9.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.35 million hectares | 54.54 million hectares | 58.16 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.32 million hectares | 50.51 million hectares | 54.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.23 million hectares | 46.21 million hectares | 50.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.57 million hectares | 43.40 million hectares | 45.74 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 16 Argentina 46.60 million hectares compare
- 17 Central African Republic 45.09 million hectares compare
- 18 Zambia 44.87 million hectares compare
- 20 Papua New Guinea 34.03 million hectares compare
- 21 Mozambique 32.24 million hectares compare
- 22 Sweden 27.93 million hectares compare
More environment data for Tanzania
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.06 % 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 5.16 % 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Tanzania?
- Forest area in Tanzania was 43.40 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 58.16 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.40 million hectares in 2025.
- How does Tanzania rank for forest area?
- Tanzania ranks 19th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.