Land use hidden — Forest in China
China: Land use hidden — Forest was 2.26 million Square kilometres in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land use hidden — Forest in China, 1990–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
China recorded 2.26 million Square kilometres for land use hidden — forest in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use hidden — forest in China peaked at 2.26 million Square kilometres in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.57 million Square kilometres, in 1990.
That places China 6th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Land use hidden — Forest in China, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.57 million Square kilometres | — |
| 1991 | 1.59 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.61 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.63 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 1.65 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.67 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.69 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 1.71 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.73 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 1.75 million Square kilometres | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 1.77 million Square kilometres | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.79 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.82 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.84 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.86 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.89 million Square kilometres | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1.91 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.94 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.96 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 1.98 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 2.01 million Square kilometres | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 2.03 million Square kilometres | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 2.04 million Square kilometres | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 2.06 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 2.08 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 2.10 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 2.12 million Square kilometres | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 2.14 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.16 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 2.18 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 2.20 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 2.22 million Square kilometres | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 2.24 million Square kilometres | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 2.26 million Square kilometres | +0.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.26 million Square kilometres is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,224 Square kilometres, 79.9× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- China's 2.26 million Square kilometres is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25,208 Square kilometres, 89.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.66 million Square kilometres | 1.57 million Square kilometres | 1.75 million Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.88 million Square kilometres | 1.77 million Square kilometres | 1.98 million Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.09 million Square kilometres | 2.01 million Square kilometres | 2.18 million Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.23 million Square kilometres | 2.20 million Square kilometres | 2.26 million Square kilometres | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 3 Brazil 4.93 million Square kilometres compare
- 4 Canada 3.47 million Square kilometres compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1.23 million Square kilometres compare
- 4 Equatorial Guinea 24,233 Square kilometres compare
- 5 Türkiye 226,884 Square kilometres compare
- 5 United States 3.10 million Square kilometres compare
- 5 Croatia 19,466 Square kilometres compare
- 6 Viet Nam 148,708 Square kilometres compare
- 7 Australia 1.34 million Square kilometres compare
- 7 Poland 95,190 Square kilometres compare
- 7 Fiji 11,601 Square kilometres compare
- 8 Latvia 34,224 Square kilometres compare
- 8 Eswatini 5,012 Square kilometres compare
- 8 Indonesia 903,166 Square kilometres compare
- 9 Estonia 24,384 Square kilometres compare
- 9 India 729,592 Square kilometres compare
- 9 Moldova 3,865 Square kilometres compare
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use hidden — forest in China?
- Land use hidden — forest in China was 2.26 million Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land use hidden — forest recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.26 million Square kilometres in 2023.
- What is the lowest land use hidden — forest recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.57 million Square kilometres in 1990.
- How does China rank for land use hidden — forest?
- China ranks 6th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use hidden — forest rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land use hidden — Forest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Land resources are one of the four components of the natural environment: water, air, land and living resources. In this context land is both: a physical "milieu" necessary for the development of natural vegetation as well as cultivated vegetation; a resource for human activities. The data presented here give information concerning land use state and changes (e.g. agricultural land, forest land). Data source(s): Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., (FAOSTAT) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: June 3, 2024 Database documentation Countries metadata