News Desk 
Forest, Tree | Photo by Pixabay
Forest land statistics offer a critical lens into the health of our planet. Forests, often called the “lungs of the Earth,” are indispensable in maintaining ecological equilibrium. Yet, deforestation and unsustainable practices pose significant threats to these vital ecosystems.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), forests cover 31 percent of the global land area. This is equivalent to about 4.06 billion hectares of forest land. The share of forest area varies by region. Europe has the largest share at 25%. South America follows with 20%, and Africa has 16%.
Some Additional Facts on Global Forest Land Statistics
- Approximately half the forest area is relatively intact, and more than one-third is primary forest (i.e. naturally regenerated forests of native species, where there are no visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed).
- The global number of trees is estimated to be around 3.04 trillion, with an average of 422 trees per person.
- Over 15 billion trees are cut down each year. The global number of trees has fallen by almost half (46%) since the start of human civilization.
- Forests provide many ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, water regulation, soil protection, and livelihood support.
A Declining Trend of Forest Land
- Deforestation Rates: Recent studies reveal a concerning decline in global forest cover.
- Primary Drivers: Deforestation is primarily driven by agricultural expansion, logging, and urbanization.
- Resource Depletion: These activities not only diminish forest land but also deplete valuable forest resources.
A Precious Commodity from Forest
- Timber: Forests provide timber, a fundamental building material for various industries.
- Non-Timber Forest Products: These include medicinal plants, fruits, and resins, which contribute to local economies and traditional livelihoods.
- Ecosystem Services: Forests offer a myriad of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water regulation, and biodiversity conservation.
The Impact of Climate Change
- Disrupted Ecosystems: Climate change disrupts forest ecosystems through rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events.
- Increased Threats: These changes can lead to increased pest and disease outbreaks, wildfires, and soil erosion.
The Need for Conservation
- Sustainable Practices: Sustainable forest management practices, such as selective logging and reforestation, can help protect forest resources.
- Conservation Efforts: Concerted efforts are necessary to conserve and restore forest ecosystems.
- Long-Term Sustainability: By adopting sustainable practices, we can ensure the longevity of our planet’s vital green lungs. Supporting reforestation initiatives reinforces this sustainability.
Forest Land Statistics: Countries Forest Coverage Insights (till 2020)
Here are the countries with the highest forest coverage, ranked by percentage:
Top 10 Countries with Highest Forest Coverage
- 🇸🇷 Suriname – 97.4%
- 🇬🇾 Guyana – 93.6%
- 🇬🇦 Gabon – 91.3%
- 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands – 90.1%
- 🇵🇼 Palau – 90.0%
- 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea – 87.3%
- 🇦🇸 American Samoa – 85.6%
- 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea – 79.2%
- 🇱🇷 Liberia – 79.1%
- 🇵🇳 Pitcairn – 74.5%
Countries with Significant Forest Coverage
- 🇫🇮 Finland – 73.7%
- 🇸🇨 Seychelles – 73.3%
- 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 73.2%
- 🇳🇺 Niue – 72.6%
- 🇧🇳 Brunei – 72.1%
- 🇱🇦 Laos – 71.9%
- 🇧🇹 Bhutan – 71.4%
- 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau – 70.4%
- 🇸🇪 Sweden – 68.7%
- 🇯🇵 Japan – 68.4%
- 🇨🇰 Cook Islands – 65.0%
- 🇰🇷 South Korea – 64.5%
- 🇨🇬 Congo – 64.3%
- 🇩🇲 Dominica – 63.8%
- 🇫🇯 Fiji – 62.4%
- 🇹🇱 East Timor – 61.9%
- 🇲🇪 Montenegro – 61.5%
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia – 61.5%
- 🇦🇮 Anguilla – 61.1%
- 🇿🇲 Zambia – 60.3%
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica – 59.4%
- 🇧🇷 Brazil – 59.4%
- 🇲🇾 Malaysia – 58.2%
- 🇼🇸 Samoa – 57.1%
- 🇺🇸 United States Virgin Islands – 56.9%
- 🇵🇦 Panama – 56.9%
- 🇭🇳 Honduras – 56.8%
- 🇵🇪 Peru – 56.5%
- 🇪🇪 Estonia – 56.1%
- 🇧🇿 Belize – 56.0%
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico – 56.0%
- 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of Congo – 55.6%
- 🇯🇲 Jamaica – 55.1%
- 🇱🇻 Latvia – 54.9%
- 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe – 54.1%
- 🇦🇴 Angola – 53.4%
- 🇨🇴 Colombia – 53.3%
- 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands – 53.0%
- 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands – 53.0%
- 🇻🇪 Venezuela – 52.4%
- 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands – 52.2%
- 🇬🇩 Grenada – 52.1%
- 🇬🇺 Guam – 51.9%
- 🇹🇿 Tanzania – 51.6%
- 🇧🇸 Bahamas – 50.9%
- 🇪🇨 Ecuador – 50.3%
- 🇰🇵 North Korea – 50.1%
Mid-Level Forest Nations (30%–50%)
- 🇷🇺 Russia – 49.8%
- 🇲🇶 Martinique – 49.3%
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia – 49.1%
- 🇦🇹 Austria – 47.3%
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam – 47.2%
- 🇧🇴 Bolivia – 46.9%
- 🇲🇿 Mozambique – 46.7%
- 🇳🇨 New Caledonia – 45.8%
- 🇰🇭 Cambodia – 45.7%
- 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe – 45.1%
- 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago – 44.5%
- 🇬🇵 Guadeloupe – 44.4%
- 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic – 44.4%
- 🇲🇲 Myanmar – 43.7%
- 🇧🇾 Belarus – 43.2%
- 🇨🇲 Cameroon – 43.0%
- 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina – 42.7%
- 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis – 42.3%
- 🇸🇳 Senegal – 41.9%
- 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein – 41.9%
- 🇳🇵 Nepal – 41.6%
- 🇵🇫 French Polynesia – 40.8%
- 🇬🇪 Georgia – 40.6%
- 🇵🇾 Paraguay – 40.5%
- 🇸🇰 Slovakia – 40.1%
- 🇲🇰 North Macedonia – 39.7%
- 🇹🇭 Thailand – 38.9%
- 🇨🇦 Canada – 38.7%
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand – 37.6%
- 🇪🇸 Spain – 37.2%
- 🇾🇹 Mayotte – 37.1%
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg – 36.5%
- 🇻🇺 Vanuatu – 36.3%
- 🇵🇹 Portugal – 36.2%
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria – 35.9%
- 🇨🇫 Central African Republic – 35.8%
- 🇱🇹 Lithuania – 35.1%
- 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone – 35.1%
- 🇬🇭 Ghana – 35.1%
- 🇨🇿 Czechia – 34.7%
- 🇭🇷 Croatia – 34.3%
- 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka – 34.1%
- 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia – 34.0%
- 🇦🇩 Andorra – 34.0%
- 🇺🇸 United States – 33.9%
- 🇲🇽 Mexico – 33.8%
- 🇳🇴 Norway – 33.4%
- 🇹🇻 Tuvalu – 33.3%
- 🇬🇹 Guatemala – 32.9%
- 🇩🇪 Germany – 32.7%
- 🇮🇹 Italy – 32.5%
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland – 32.1%
- 🇫🇷 France – 31.5%
- 🇨🇺 Cuba – 31.2%
- 🇷🇸 Serbia – 31.1%
- 🇵🇱 Poland – 31.0%
- 🇬🇷 Greece – 30.3%
- 🇷🇴 Romania – 30.1%
Countries with Moderate Forest Areas (20%–30%)
- 🇸🇿 Eswatini – 28.9%
- 🇹🇷 Turkey – 28.9%
- 🇦🇱 Albania – 28.8%
- 🇳🇮 Nicaragua – 28.3%
- 🇸🇻 El Salvador – 28.2%
- 🇧🇯 Benin – 27.8%
- 🇧🇼 Botswana – 26.9%
- 🇬🇳 Guinea – 25.2%
- 🇲🇸 Montserrat – 25.0%
- 🇨🇱 Chile – 24.5%
- 🇮🇳 India – 24.3%
- 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands – 24.1%
- 🇵🇭 Philippines – 24.1%
- 🇬🇲 Gambia – 24.0%
- 🇲🇼 Malawi – 23.8%
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria – 23.7%
- 🇨🇳 China – 23.4%
- 🇧🇪 Belgium – 22.8%
- 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso – 22.7%
- 🇭🇺 Hungary – 22.5%
- 🇹🇬 Togo – 22.2%
- 🇸🇬 Singapore – 22.0%
- 🇲🇬 Madagascar – 21.4%
Countries with Small Forest Areas (10%–20%)
- 🇲🇺 Mauritius – 19.1%
- 🇨🇾 Cyprus – 18.7%
- 🇧🇲 Bermuda – 18.5%
- 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda – 18.5%
- 🇰🇲 Comoros – 17.7%
- 🇦🇺 Australia – 17.4%
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine – 16.7%
- 🇸🇲 San Marino – 16.7%
- 🇩🇰 Denmark – 15.7%
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia – 15.1%
- 🇧🇧 Barbados – 14.7%
- 🇧🇩 Bangladesh – 14.5%
- 🇿🇦 South Africa – 14.1%
- 🇱🇧 Lebanon – 14.0%
- 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan – 13.7%
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 13.2%
- 🇲🇦 Morocco – 12.9%
- 🇭🇹 Haiti – 12.6%
- 🇹🇴 Tonga – 12.4%
- 🇳🇫 Norfolk Island – 12.3%
- 🇲🇩 Moldova – 11.8%
- 🇺🇬 Uganda – 11.7%
- 🇺🇾 Uruguay – 11.6%
- 🇦🇲 Armenia – 11.5%
- 🇮🇪 Ireland – 11.4%
- 🇨🇻 Cape Verde – 11.3%
- 🇸🇸 South Sudan – 11.3%
- 🇷🇼 Rwanda – 11.2%
- 🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands – 11.1%
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands – 11.0%
- 🇲🇱 Mali – 10.9%
- 🇧🇮 Burundi – 10.9%
- 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) – 10.9%
- 🇪🇷 Eritrea – 10.4%
- 🇦🇷 Argentina – 10.4%
Nations with Minimal Forest Coverage (Under 10%)
- 🇸🇩 Sudan – 9.9%
- 🇸🇴 Somalia – 9.5%
- 🇲🇳 Mongolia – 9.1%
- 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan – 8.8%
- 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan – 8.4%
- 🇳🇦 Namibia – 8.1%
- 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan – 6.9%
- 🇮🇷 Iran – 6.6%
- 🇮🇱 Israel – 6.5%
- 🇰🇪 Kenya – 6.3%
- 🇮🇲 Isle of Man – 6.1%
- 🇵🇫 Saint Pierre and Miquelon – 5.3%
- 🇸🇭 Saint Helena – 5.1%
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan – 4.8%
- 🇹🇳 Tunisia – 4.5%
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates – 4.5%
- 🇹🇩 Chad – 3.4%
- 🇹🇯 Tajikistan – 3.1%
- 🇸🇾 Syria – 2.8%
- 🇲🇻 Maldives – 2.7%
- 🇪🇭 Western Sahara – 2.5%
- 🇦🇼 Aruba – 2.3%
- 🇮🇶 Iraq – 1.9%
- 🇦🇫 Afghanistan – 1.9%
- 🇵🇸 Palestine – 1.7%
- 🇰🇮 Kiribati – 1.5%
- 🇲🇹 Malta – 1.4%
- 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan – 1.3%
- 🇱🇸 Lesotho – 1.1%
- 🇯🇴 Jordan – 1.1%
- 🇾🇪 Yemen – 1.0%
Bottom 10 Nations with Negligible Forest Coverage (Less than 1%)
- 🇧🇭 Bahrain – 0.9%
- 🇳🇪 Niger – 0.9%
- 🇩🇿 Algeria – 0.8%
- 🇮🇸 Iceland – 0.5%
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – 0.5%
- 🇰🇼 Kuwait – 0.4%
- 🇲🇷 Mauritania – 0.3%
- 🇩🇯 Djibouti – 0.3%
- 🇱🇾 Libya – 0.1%
- 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands – 0.1%
Safeguarding Our Green Lungs: A Call to Action
Forest Land Statistics paint a stark picture of the challenges facing our planet’s forests. Deforestation and climate change continue to threaten these vital ecosystems, impacting biodiversity, water cycles, and carbon sequestration. To address these issues, immediate and concerted action is required.
We can mitigate the negative impacts of human activities by implementing sustainable forest management practices. Investing in reforestation initiatives is crucial. Raising awareness about the importance of forests is also vital. These actions ensure the long-term health of our planet. Forest Land Statistics highlight the urgent need for a global commitment to forest conservation. These invaluable ecosystems are crucial for the well-being of current generations. They are equally essential for future generations.
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