Forest area in Nigeria
Nigeria: Forest area was 17,130 ha th in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
17,130 ha th
World rank
43rd
of 255 countries
All-time high
21,571 ha th
in 1990
All-time low
17,130 ha th
in 2025
Years of data
6
1990–2025
Forest area in Nigeria, 1990–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in ha th.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 17,130 ha th for forest area in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Nigeria peaked at 21,571 ha th in 1990 and was at its lowest, 17,130 ha th, in 2025.
Nigeria ranks 43rd of 255 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Forest area in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | ha th | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21,571 ha th | — |
| 2000 | 20,302 ha th | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 19,033 ha th | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 18,399 ha th | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 17,764 ha th | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 17,130 ha th | -3.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 17,130 ha th is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3,774 ha th, 4.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 17,130 ha th is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,914 ha th, 4.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21,571 ha th | 21,571 ha th | 21,571 ha th | 1 |
| 2000s | 20,302 ha th | 20,302 ha th | 20,302 ha th | 1 |
| 2010s | 18,716 ha th | 18,399 ha th | 19,033 ha th | 2 |
| 2020s | 17,447 ha th | 17,130 ha th | 17,764 ha th | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More environment data for Nigeria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.78 % 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 0.4617 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Nigeria?
- Forest area in Nigeria was 17,130 ha th in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 21,571 ha th in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,130 ha th in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for forest area?
- Nigeria ranks 43rd out of 255 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).