Naturally regenerating forest — Area in South America

South America: Naturally regenerating forest — Area was 831,256 1000 ha in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
831,256 1000 ha
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
6th
of 32 groups
All-time high
1.02 million 1000 ha
in 1990
All-time low
831,256 1000 ha
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Naturally regenerating forest — Area in South America, 1990–2025

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1990200720251990: 1.0M 1000 ha1991: 1.0M 1000 ha1992: 1.0M 1000 ha1993: 999.2k 1000 ha1994: 991.6k 1000 ha1995: 984.1k 1000 ha1996: 976.5k 1000 ha1997: 969.0k 1000 ha1998: 961.5k 1000 ha1999: 953.9k 1000 ha2000: 946.4k 1000 ha2001: 940.9k 1000 ha2002: 935.4k 1000 ha2003: 930.0k 1000 ha2004: 924.5k 1000 ha2005: 919.0k 1000 ha2006: 913.5k 1000 ha2007: 908.0k 1000 ha2008: 902.5k 1000 ha2009: 897.1k 1000 ha2010: 891.6k 1000 ha2011: 887.8k 1000 ha2012: 883.9k 1000 ha2013: 880.1k 1000 ha2014: 876.3k 1000 ha2015: 872.4k 1000 ha2016: 868.6k 1000 ha2017: 864.7k 1000 ha2018: 860.9k 1000 ha2019: 857.0k 1000 ha2020: 853.2k 1000 ha2021: 848.8k 1000 ha2022: 844.4k 1000 ha2023: 840.0k 1000 ha2024: 835.6k 1000 ha2025: 831.3k 1000 ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

South America recorded 831,256 1000 ha for naturally regenerating forest — area in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, naturally regenerating forest — area in South America peaked at 1.02 million 1000 ha in 1990 and was at its lowest, 831,256 1000 ha, in 2025.

That places South America 6th out of 32 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Naturally regenerating forest — Area in South America, year by year

Annual values for Naturally regenerating forest — Area in South America, 1990 to 2025.
Year 1000 ha Change
1990 1.02 million 1000 ha —
1991 1.01 million 1000 ha -0.7%
1992 1.01 million 1000 ha -0.7%
1993 999,165 1000 ha -0.7%
1994 991,626 1000 ha -0.8%
1995 984,088 1000 ha -0.8%
1996 976,549 1000 ha -0.8%
1997 969,010 1000 ha -0.8%
1998 961,471 1000 ha -0.8%
1999 953,932 1000 ha -0.8%
2000 946,394 1000 ha -0.8%
2001 940,913 1000 ha -0.6%
2002 935,433 1000 ha -0.6%
2003 929,952 1000 ha -0.6%
2004 924,472 1000 ha -0.6%
2005 918,992 1000 ha -0.6%
2006 913,511 1000 ha -0.6%
2007 908,031 1000 ha -0.6%
2008 902,550 1000 ha -0.6%
2009 897,070 1000 ha -0.6%
2010 891,590 1000 ha -0.6%
2011 887,756 1000 ha -0.4%
2012 883,923 1000 ha -0.4%
2013 880,090 1000 ha -0.4%
2014 876,257 1000 ha -0.4%
2015 872,424 1000 ha -0.4%
2016 868,580 1000 ha -0.4%
2017 864,736 1000 ha -0.4%
2018 860,893 1000 ha -0.4%
2019 857,049 1000 ha -0.4%
2020 853,205 1000 ha -0.4%
2021 848,816 1000 ha -0.5%
2022 844,426 1000 ha -0.5%
2023 840,036 1000 ha -0.5%
2024 835,646 1000 ha -0.5%
2025 831,256 1000 ha -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 987,856 1000 ha 953,932 1000 ha 1.02 million 1000 ha 10
2000s 921,732 1000 ha 897,070 1000 ha 946,394 1000 ha 10
2010s 874,330 1000 ha 857,049 1000 ha 891,590 1000 ha 10
2020s 842,231 1000 ha 831,256 1000 ha 853,205 1000 ha 6

Countries ranked near South America

  1. 4 Brazil 476,873 1000 ha compare
  2. 5 Canada 348,111 1000 ha compare
  3. 6 United States 281,472 1000 ha compare
  4. 7 Australia and New Zealand 139,374 1000 ha compare
  5. 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 139,058 1000 ha compare
  6. 9 China 134,550 1000 ha compare
  7. 9 China, mainland 134,550 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More environment data for South America

All data for South America →

Frequently asked questions

What is naturally regenerating forest — area in South America?
Naturally regenerating forest — area in South America was 831,256 1000 ha in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest naturally regenerating forest — area recorded in South America?
The highest recorded value was 1.02 million 1000 ha in 1990.
What is the lowest naturally regenerating forest — area recorded in South America?
The lowest recorded value was 831,256 1000 ha in 2025.
How does South America rank for naturally regenerating forest — area?
South America ranks 6th out of 32 groups with data for 2025.
Is naturally regenerating forest — area rising or falling in South America?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South America data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Naturally regenerating forest — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Naturally regenerating forest — Area in South America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/naturally-regenerating-forest-area/south-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Naturally regenerating forest — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,468 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.