environment
Global Forest Area
Total land area covered by forest worldwide, measured in square kilometres. Forests play a critical role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
WLDTier 1 Source
Global Forest Area
Official value (2022): 40,398,387
-1.1%in time period
Global Forest Area growth (2013–2022)
-1.1%in time period
Chart data: 2013: 40,838,658.292 sq. km, 2014: 40,793,786.376 sq. km, 2015: 40,748,914.46 sq. km, 2016: 40,716,299.758 sq. km, 2017: 40,647,868.959 sq. km, 2018: 40,599,554.242 sq. km, 2019: 40,548,696.3 sq. km, 2020: 40,499,594.4 sq. km, 2021: 40,449,373.704 sq. km, 2022: 40,398,387.316 sq. km
Top Countries by Global Forest Area (2021)
RankCountrysq. km
#1
Russian Federation
8,153,120
#2
Brazil
4,929,787.518
#3
Canada
3,468,171.459
#4
United States
3,097,950
#5
China
2,256,168.9
#6
Australia
1,340,051
#7
Congo, Dem. Rep.
1,228,511.159
#8
Indonesia
903,165.959
#9
India
729,592
#10
Peru
718,118.659
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Global Forest Area in 2022?
- As of 2022, Global Forest Area stands at approximately 40.4 million sq. km, based on official data from World Bank Open Data. This figure is updated annually and reflects the most recent verified measurement available.
- Which country has the highest Global Forest Area?
- Russian Federation leads the global ranking with 8.2 million sq. km. Rankings are published annually by World Bank Open Data.
- Is Global Forest Area increasing or decreasing?
- Global Forest Area is currently declining at approximately 0.1% per year. This rate is derived from the most recent multi-year trend reported by World Bank Open Data.
- What does Global Forest Area measure?
- Total land area covered by forest worldwide, measured in square kilometres. Data is collected by World Bank Open Data using standardized international methodology across all member countries.
See Also
How is this calculated? Read the methodology