Forest area in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Forest area was 529,220 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Western Sahara, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Western Sahara is 529,220 hectares, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Western Sahara peaked at 605,450 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 529,220 hectares, in 2025.
That places Western Sahara 142nd 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 Western Sahara, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 605,450 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 598,859 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 592,268 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 585,677 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 579,086 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 572,495 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 565,904 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 559,313 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 552,722 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 546,131 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 539,540 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 539,309 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 539,078 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 538,847 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 538,616 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 538,385 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 538,154 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 537,923 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 537,692 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 537,461 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 537,230 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 537,684 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 538,138 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 538,592 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 539,046 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 539,500 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 538,242 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 536,984 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 535,726 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 534,468 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 533,210 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 532,412 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 531,614 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 530,816 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 530,018 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 529,220 hectares | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 575,790 hectares | 546,131 hectares | 605,450 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 538,500 hectares | 537,461 hectares | 539,540 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 537,561 hectares | 534,468 hectares | 539,500 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 531,215 hectares | 529,220 hectares | 533,210 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
More environment data for Western Sahara
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -62.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.503 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -21.2 Percentage change (2025)
- Land area — Area 26,600 1000 ha (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.95 Percentage change (2024)
- Country area — Area 26,600 1000 ha (2024)
- Pesticides (total) — Export value 37.78 1000 USD (2024)
- Pesticides (total) — Import value 62.35 1000 USD (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Western Sahara?
- Forest area in Western Sahara was 529,220 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 Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 605,450 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 529,220 hectares in 2025.
- How does Western Sahara rank for forest area?
- Western Sahara ranks 142nd out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Western Sahara 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.