Forest area in Africa
Africa: Forest area was 662,630 ha th in 2025. βΌ Falling
Latest (2025)
662,630 ha th
Rank
5th
of 51 regions
All-time high
779,536 ha th
in 1990
All-time low
662,630 ha th
in 2025
Years of data
6
1990β2025
Forest area in Africa, 1990β2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in ha th.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Africa is 662,630 ha th, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Africa peaked at 779,536 ha th in 1990 and was at its lowest, 662,630 ha th, in 2025.
Africa ranks 5th of 51 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 779,536 ha th | 779,536 ha th | 779,536 ha th | 1 |
| 2000s | 746,757 ha th | 746,757 ha th | 746,757 ha th | 1 |
| 2010s | 702,566 ha th | 692,237 ha th | 712,895 ha th | 2 |
| 2020s | 669,744 ha th | 662,630 ha th | 676,859 ha th | 2 |
Countries ranked near Africa
More environment data for Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Temperature change 1.32 Β°C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.213 Β°C (2025)
- Primary wood and paper products (export/import) β Export value 5.54 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous β Production 32.26 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood β Export value 714,851 1000 USD (2024)
- Roundwood β Export quantity 3.78 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood β Import value 182,147 1000 USD (2024)
- Roundwood β Import quantity 2.09 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood β Production 820.65 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Africa?
- Forest area in Africa was 662,630 ha th in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 779,536 ha th in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 662,630 ha th in 2025.
- How does Africa rank for forest area?
- Africa ranks 5th out of 51 regions with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Forest area (thousands of hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 6 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).