Land use hidden — Forest in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Land use hidden — Forest was 21,035 Square kilometres in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land use hidden — Forest in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use hidden — forest in Sri Lanka is 21,035 Square kilometres, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use hidden — forest in Sri Lanka peaked at 23,503 Square kilometres in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21,035 Square kilometres, in 2023.
That places Sri Lanka 95th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Land use hidden — Forest in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23,503 Square kilometres | — |
| 1991 | 23,319 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 23,136 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 22,952 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 22,768 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 22,584 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 22,400 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 22,216 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 22,032 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 21,848 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 21,664 Square kilometres | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 21,601 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 21,539 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 21,476 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 21,413 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 21,350 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 21,287 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 21,225 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 21,162 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 21,099 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 21,036 Square kilometres | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 21,087 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 21,137 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 21,187 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 21,238 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 21,288 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 21,257 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 21,225 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 21,193 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 21,162 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 21,130 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 21,099 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 21,067 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 21,035 Square kilometres | -0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 21,035 Square kilometres is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,224 Square kilometres, 75% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 21,035 Square kilometres is below the median for South Asia, which is 24,173 Square kilometres, 87% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22,676 Square kilometres | 21,848 Square kilometres | 23,503 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,382 Square kilometres | 21,099 Square kilometres | 21,664 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,181 Square kilometres | 21,036 Square kilometres | 21,288 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2020s | 21,083 Square kilometres | 21,035 Square kilometres | 21,130 Square kilometres | 4 |
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use hidden — forest in Sri Lanka?
- Land use hidden — forest in Sri Lanka was 21,035 Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land use hidden — forest recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 23,503 Square kilometres in 1990.
- What is the lowest land use hidden — forest recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,035 Square kilometres in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for land use hidden — forest?
- Sri Lanka ranks 95th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use hidden — forest rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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