Land use hidden — Forest in South Africa
South Africa: Land use hidden — Forest was 169,409 Square kilometres in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land use hidden — Forest in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
In 2023, land use hidden — forest in South Africa stood at 169,409 Square kilometres. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use hidden — forest in South Africa peaked at 181,421 Square kilometres in 1990 and was at its lowest, 169,409 Square kilometres, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 38th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Land use hidden — Forest in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 181,421 Square kilometres | — |
| 1991 | 181,057 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 180,693 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 180,329 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 179,965 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 179,601 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 179,237 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 178,873 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 178,509 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 178,145 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 177,781 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 177,417 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 177,053 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 176,689 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 176,325 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 175,961 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 175,597 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 175,233 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 174,869 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 174,505 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 174,141 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 173,777 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 173,413 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 173,049 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 172,685 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 172,321 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 171,957 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 171,593 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 171,229 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 170,865 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 170,501 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 170,137 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 169,773 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 169,409 Square kilometres | -0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 169,409 Square kilometres is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,224 Square kilometres, 6.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 169,409 Square kilometres is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 60,677 Square kilometres, 2.8× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 179,783 Square kilometres | 178,145 Square kilometres | 181,421 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2000s | 176,143 Square kilometres | 174,505 Square kilometres | 177,781 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2010s | 172,503 Square kilometres | 170,865 Square kilometres | 174,141 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2020s | 169,955 Square kilometres | 169,409 Square kilometres | 170,501 Square kilometres | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % 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 0.2953 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use hidden — forest in South Africa?
- Land use hidden — forest in South Africa was 169,409 Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land use hidden — forest recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 181,421 Square kilometres in 1990.
- What is the lowest land use hidden — forest recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 169,409 Square kilometres in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for land use hidden — forest?
- South Africa ranks 38th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use hidden — forest rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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