Permanent snow and glaciers — Area from MODIS by country
The FAOSTAT domain on Land Cover data under the Agri-Environmental Indicators section contains land cover information organized by the land cover classes of the international standard system for Environmental and Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA CF). The land cover information is compiled from publicly...
Countries reporting
240
Highest
1.18 million 1000 ha
Antarctica
Lowest
0 1000 ha
Naoero
Median
0 1000 ha
Years covered
24
2001–2024
Data points
6,390
What the numbers show
Permanent snow and glaciers — Area from MODIS is currently reported for 240 countries. The highest value is 1.18 million 1000 ha in Antarctica; the lowest is 0 1000 ha in Naoero.
The median across all reporting countries is 0 1000 ha, and the mean is 5,887 1000 ha.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 36 fell. The largest increase was in Iran (Islamic Republic of) (up 3,081.8%), and the largest decrease in Armenia (down 100.0%).
Permanent snow and glaciers — Area from MODIS: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antarctica | 1.18 million 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Greenland | 186,005 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.1% | falling |
| 3 | Canada | 24,922 1000 ha | 2024 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 4 | Russian Federation | 8,881 1000 ha | 2024 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 5 | Norway | 3,744 1000 ha | 2024 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 6 | China | 2,848 1000 ha | 2024 | down 9.2% | flat |
| 6 | China, mainland | 2,848 1000 ha | 2024 | down 9.2% | flat |
| 8 | Chile | 1,505 1000 ha | 2024 | down 14.4% | flat |
| 9 | Iceland | 1,161 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 10 | Tajikistan | 831.24 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 11 | Kyrgyzstan | 413.61 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.6% | rising |
| 12 | Afghanistan | 323.54 1000 ha | 2024 | down 8.2% | rising |
| 13 | India | 314.76 1000 ha | 2024 | down 5.6% | rising |
| 14 | Argentina | 272.7 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.9% | falling |
| 15 | Kazakhstan | 254.5 1000 ha | 2024 | down 37.1% | rising |
| 16 | Nepal | 209.99 1000 ha | 2024 | down 19.0% | rising |
| 17 | Pakistan | 166.47 1000 ha | 2024 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 18 | Australia and New Zealand | 106.54 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.7% | falling |
| 19 | New Zealand | 76.35 1000 ha | 2024 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 20 | Peru | 51.17 1000 ha | 2024 | down 26.1% | rising |
| 21 | Switzerland | 45.04 1000 ha | 2024 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 22 | Sweden | 41.11 1000 ha | 2024 | up 27.6% | rising |
| 23 | Bhutan | 36.87 1000 ha | 2024 | down 26.5% | falling |
| 24 | Georgia | 35.78 1000 ha | 2024 | up 26.8% | flat |
| 25 | Uzbekistan | 29.38 1000 ha | 2024 | down 70.0% | volatile |
| 26 | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 29.28 1000 ha | 2024 | down 2.4% | falling |
| 27 | Australia | 27.67 1000 ha | 2024 | up 634.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Austria | 15.88 1000 ha | 2024 | down 43.8% | falling |
| 29 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 15.28 1000 ha | 2024 | down 41.9% | rising |
| 30 | Mongolia | 13.76 1000 ha | 2024 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 31 | Italy | 10.63 1000 ha | 2024 | down 35.8% | falling |
| 32 | Türkiye | 9.73 1000 ha | 2024 | up 52.0% | rising |
| 33 | France | 6.76 1000 ha | 2024 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 34 | Turkmenistan | 5.57 1000 ha | 2024 | down 62.4% | volatile |
| 35 | Myanmar | 4.57 1000 ha | 2024 | up 93.6% | volatile |
| 36 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 3.5 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3,081.8% | volatile |
| 37 | Ecuador | 2.91 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.2% | flat |
| 38 | Heard Island and McDonald Islands | 2.52 1000 ha | 2024 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 39 | Colombia | 1 1000 ha | 2024 | down 30.1% | falling |
| 40 | Slovenia | 0.6 1000 ha | 2024 | down 54.9% | rising |
| 41 | Azerbaijan | 0.56 1000 ha | 2024 | up 51.4% | flat |
| 42 | French Southern Territories | 0.3 1000 ha | 2024 | down 18.9% | volatile |
| 43 | United Republic of Tanzania | 0.11 1000 ha | 2024 | up 450.0% | volatile |
| 44 | Malawi | 0.09 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 44 | Namibia | 0.09 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 46 | Albania | 0.06 1000 ha | 2024 | down 89.3% | falling |
| 46 | Mexico | 0.06 1000 ha | 2024 | down 81.2% | volatile |
| 48 | Germany | 0.02 1000 ha | 2024 | down 77.8% | volatile |
| 48 | Estonia | 0.02 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Aruba | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Angola | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Andorra | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | United Arab Emirates | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Armenia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 50 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Burundi | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Belgium | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Benin | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Burkina Faso | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Bangladesh | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Bulgaria | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 50 | Bahrain | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Bahamas | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Belarus | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Belize | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Bermuda | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Brazil | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 50 | Barbados | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Botswana | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Channel Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cameroon | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Congo | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Comoros | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Costa Rica | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cuba | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cayman Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cyprus | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Czechia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Djibouti | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Dominica | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Denmark | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Dominican Republic | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Algeria | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Egypt | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Eritrea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Spain | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Ethiopia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Finland | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Fiji | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Faroe Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Gabon | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Ghana | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Gibraltar | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guinea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Gambia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guinea-Bissau | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Equatorial Guinea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Greece | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Grenada | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guatemala | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guam | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guyana | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Honduras | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Croatia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Haiti | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Hungary | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Indonesia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Isle of Man | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Ireland | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Iraq | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Israel | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Jamaica | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Jordan | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Japan | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Kenya | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cambodia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Kiribati | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | down 100.0% | rising |
| 50 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Kuwait | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Lebanon | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Liberia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Libya | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Saint Lucia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Liechtenstein | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Sri Lanka | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Lesotho | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Lithuania | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Luxembourg | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Latvia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Morocco | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Monaco | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Madagascar | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Maldives | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Marshall Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | North Macedonia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Mali | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Malta | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Montenegro | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Northern Mariana Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Mozambique | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Mauritania | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Mauritius | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Malaysia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | New Caledonia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Niger | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Nigeria | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Nicaragua | 0 1000 ha | 2022 | — | flat |
| 50 | Oman | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Panama | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Philippines | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Palau | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Papua New Guinea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Poland | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Puerto Rico | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Portugal | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Paraguay | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Palestine | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | French Polynesia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Qatar | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Romania | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Rwanda | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Saudi Arabia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Sudan | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Senegal | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Singapore | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Solomon Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Sierra Leone | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | El Salvador | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | San Marino | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Somalia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Serbia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | South Sudan | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Suriname | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Slovakia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Eswatini | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Seychelles | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Chad | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Togo | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Thailand | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Tonga | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Tunisia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Tuvalu | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Uganda | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Ukraine | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Uruguay | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | British Virgin Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | United States Virgin Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Vanuatu | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Samoa | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Yemen | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Zambia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Zimbabwe | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | French Guiana | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Guadeloupe | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Martinique | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Mayotte | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Western Sahara | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Anguilla | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cook Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Montserrat | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Niue | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Tokelau | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Wallis and Futuna Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Micronesia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 50 | Serbia and Montenegro | 0 1000 ha | 2005 | — | flat |
| 50 | Norfolk Island | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Sudan (former) | 0 1000 ha | 2011 | — | flat |
| 50 | Timor-Leste | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Cabo Verde | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Pitcairn | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Melanesia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Polynesia | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Caribbean | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | United States Minor Outlying Islands | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Ascension, Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | China, Hong Kong SAR | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Republic of Korea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Republic of Moldova | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Syrian Arab Republic | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Viet Nam | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Côte d'Ivoire | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Brunei Darussalam | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | China, Taiwan Province of | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | China, Macao SAR | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Netherlands Antilles (former) | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
| 50 | Naoero | 0 1000 ha | 2024 | — | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 1.42 million 1000 ha
- Americas 220,003 1000 ha
- Northern America 218,125 1000 ha
- Europe 13,906 1000 ha
- Eastern Europe 8,881 1000 ha
- United States of America 7,198 1000 ha
- Asia 5,502 1000 ha
- Northern Europe 4,946 1000 ha
- Eastern Asia 2,862 1000 ha
- South America 1,878 1000 ha
- Central Asia 1,534 1000 ha
- Southern Asia 1,055 1000 ha
About this data
The FAOSTAT domain on Land Cover data under the Agri-Environmental Indicators section contains land cover information organized by the land cover classes of the international standard system for Environmental and Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA CF). The land cover information is compiled from publicly available Global Land Cover (GLC) maps: a) MODIS land cover types based on the Land Cover Classification System, LCCS; b) The European Spatial Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) annual land cover maps produced by the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)-Geomatics and now under the European Copernicus Program; c) The annual land cover maps which were produced under the European Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) (CGLS land cover, containing discrete land cover categorization), with spatial resolution 100m; and d) the WorldCover maps of the European Space Agency, produced at 10m resolution.