Forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa
South Africa: Forest certified for sustainable use was 1.45 million thousands of hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in thousands of hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa is 1.45 million thousands of hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa peaked at 2.15 million thousands of hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0 thousands of hectares, in 1990.
That places South Africa 34th out of 246 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa, year by year
| Year | thousands of hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 thousands of hectares | — |
| 2000 | 1.00 million thousands of hectares | — |
| 2005 | 1.72 million thousands of hectares | +71.8% |
| 2010 | 2.15 million thousands of hectares | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 1.28 million thousands of hectares | -40.7% |
| 2016 | 1.46 million thousands of hectares | +14.4% |
| 2017 | 1.40 million thousands of hectares | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 1.47 million thousands of hectares | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.43 million thousands of hectares | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.43 million thousands of hectares | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.80 million thousands of hectares | +25.9% |
| 2022 | 1.80 million thousands of hectares | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 1.46 million thousands of hectares | -19.0% |
| 2024 | 1.45 million thousands of hectares | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 thousands of hectares | 0 thousands of hectares | 0 thousands of hectares | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.36 million thousands of hectares | 1.00 million thousands of hectares | 1.72 million thousands of hectares | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.53 million thousands of hectares | 1.28 million thousands of hectares | 2.15 million thousands of hectares | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.59 million thousands of hectares | 1.43 million thousands of hectares | 1.80 million thousands of hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 31 United Kingdom 1.63 million thousands of hectares compare
- 32 Namibia 1.55 million thousands of hectares compare
- 33 Mexico 1.54 million thousands of hectares compare
- 35 Lithuania 1.27 million thousands of hectares compare
- 36 Slovakia 1.17 million thousands of hectares compare
- 37 New Zealand 1.08 million thousands of hectares compare
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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.012 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa?
- Forest certified for sustainable use in South Africa was 1.45 million thousands of hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest certified for sustainable use recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.15 million thousands of hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest forest certified for sustainable use recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 thousands of hectares in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for forest certified for sustainable use?
- South Africa ranks 34th out of 246 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest certified for sustainable use rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest certified for sustainable use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Forest area certified under an independently verified certification scheme (thousands of hectares).