Forest area in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Forest area was 907,440 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Vanuatu, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 907,440 hectares for forest area in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Vanuatu peaked at 990,890 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 907,440 hectares, in 2025.
That places Vanuatu 130th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 990,890 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 988,506 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 986,122 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 983,738 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 981,354 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 978,970 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 976,586 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 974,202 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 971,818 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 969,434 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 967,050 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 964,665 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 962,280 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 959,895 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 957,510 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 955,125 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 952,740 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 950,355 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 947,970 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 945,585 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 943,200 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 940,816 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 938,432 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 936,048 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 933,664 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 931,280 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 928,896 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 926,512 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 924,128 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 921,744 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 919,360 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 916,976 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 914,592 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 912,208 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 909,824 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 907,440 hectares | -0.3% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 907,440 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.89 million hectares, 23% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 907,440 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.14 million hectares, 80% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 980,162 hectares | 969,434 hectares | 990,890 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 956,318 hectares | 945,585 hectares | 967,050 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 932,472 hectares | 921,744 hectares | 943,200 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 913,400 hectares | 907,440 hectares | 919,360 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 127 North Macedonia 1.03 million hectares compare
- 128 Mauritania 1.02 million hectares compare
- 129 Albania 941,000 hectares compare
- 131 New Caledonia 892,610 hectares compare
- 132 Ireland 832,850 hectares compare
- 133 Montenegro 827,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Vanuatu
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.225 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.02 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.53 % 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 -2.35 % 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 Vanuatu?
- Forest area in Vanuatu was 907,440 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 Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 990,890 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 907,440 hectares in 2025.
- How does Vanuatu rank for forest area?
- Vanuatu ranks 130th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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.