Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa
Western Africa: Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas was 20.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa, 1990–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa stood at 20.7%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa peaked at 20.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19.6%, in 2020.
That places Western Africa 17th out of 32 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.6% | — |
| 2000 | 20.4% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 20.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | -4.5% |
| 2025 | 20.7% | +5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.6% | 19.6% | 19.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 20.4% | 20.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 20.4% | 20.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 19.6% | 20.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Western Africa
More environment data for Western Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.59 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.37 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 51,000 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 0 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 20.68 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa?
- Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Western Africa was 20.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Western Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6% in 2020.
- How does Western Africa rank for proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas?
- Western Africa ranks 17th out of 32 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Western Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).