Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted was 236,430 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
236,430 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
76th
of 185 countries
All-time high
271,340 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
185,270 hectares
in 2015
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka, 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 by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka stood at 236,430 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka peaked at 271,340 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 185,270 hectares, in 2015.
That places Sri Lanka 76th out of 185 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 by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 271,340 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 267,900 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 264,460 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 261,020 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 257,580 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 254,140 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 250,700 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 247,260 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 243,820 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 240,380 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 236,940 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 233,695 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 230,450 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 227,205 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 223,960 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 220,715 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 217,470 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 214,225 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 210,980 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 207,735 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 204,490 hectares | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 200,646 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 196,802 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 192,958 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 189,114 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 185,270 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 195,502 hectares | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 205,734 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 215,966 hectares | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 226,198 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 236,430 hectares | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 236,430 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 236,430 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 236,430 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 236,430 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 236,430 hectares | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 236,430 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 216,840 hectares, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 236,430 hectares is below the median for South Asia, which is 330,350 hectares, 72% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 255,860 hectares | 240,380 hectares | 271,340 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 222,338 hectares | 207,735 hectares | 236,940 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 201,268 hectares | 185,270 hectares | 226,198 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 236,430 hectares | 236,430 hectares | 236,430 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka?
- Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Sri Lanka was 236,430 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 by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 271,340 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 185,270 hectares in 2015.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted?
- Sri Lanka ranks 76th out of 185 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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