FAO · Annual Forest Area Change Rate
Forest area change by country
How fast is a country's forest area growing or shrinking?
Of the 193 countries compared in 2025, Bahrain had the highest reading, 12.30%, and Cambodia had the lowest reading, -3.29%. In the middle country the figure was 0.00%.
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Part ofEnvironment & Sustainability
Forest area change · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 193Bahrain
12.30%012025 · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 193 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Peter from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Peace Batuma · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
Cambodia-3.29%
Burkina Faso-3.10%
Chad-2.99%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Forest area change on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -3.29–-0.38%
- -0.35–-0.03%
- -0.02–0.01%
- 0.02–0.27%
- 0.29–12.30%
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.14%
the middle country, of 42 measured · 49 members
Malta2.99%
Moldova-0.42%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
0.00%
the middle country, of 47 measured · 52 members
Bahrain12.30%Cambodia-3.29%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
0.00%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 21 members
New Zealand0.45%
Samoa-0.30%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
-0.06%
the middle country, of 36 measured · 48 members
Jamaica1.66%
Paraguay-1.34%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
-0.23%
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Rwanda2.64%Burkina Faso-3.10%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Southern Europe
0.22%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
Malta2.99%2 share -0.04%
Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.19%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Iceland1.45%2 share -0.02%
Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
0.12%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
2 share 0.39%
Moldova-0.42%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Europe
0.10%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Liechtenstein0.75%
Belgium-0.28%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Central Asia
0.07%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Uzbekistan0.93%
Turkmenistan0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Caribbean
0.00%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 24 members
Jamaica1.66%
Antigua and Barbuda-0.81%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Asia
0.00%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
China0.77%
South Korea-0.09%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Africa
0.00%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.39%
Eswatini-0.34%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.00%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Pakistan0.50%
Bhutan-0.15%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Asia
0.00%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Bahrain12.30%
Israel-0.95%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
-0.10%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt0.07%
Sudan-0.76%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Middle Africa
-0.20%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.05%Chad-2.99%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
-0.21%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Philippines0.59%Cambodia-3.29%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central America
-0.29%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
2 share 0.12%
Honduras-1.07%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South America
-0.30%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay1.18%Paraguay-1.34%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Africa
-0.37%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Rwanda2.64%
Somalia-2.11%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
-0.79%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde1.30%Burkina Faso-3.10%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand0.45%
Australia0.08%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji0.42%
Vanuatu-0.26%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau.
Marshall Islands0.32%
Kiribati0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.02%
United States-0.04%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
3 share 0.00%
Samoa-0.30%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
193 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.00%; a quarter are above 0.15%, and a quarter below -0.25%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 193 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. It is a rate of change, so a small forest moves a lot: a few hundred hectares of new planting can put a country with almost no forest at the top. Planted forest counts as gain whatever was there before, and a zero often means the reported area was simply held constant.
Showing 25 of 193 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2015 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052000–2025 · 3 reference years
Over time
There are three readings, each covering a period that ends in its year: 1990–2000, 2000–2015 and 2015–2025. They are periods of different lengths, so read them as three snapshots rather than a smooth line.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 193 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 193 | 0.00% | -0.25% – 0.15% | 0.00% |
| 2015 | 193 | 0.00% | -0.29% – 0.24% | 0.00% |
| 2000 | 193 | 0.00% | -0.33% – 0.20% | 0.00% |
062015 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → afterDeclined most
before → after
Burundi2.47% → 0.00%−2.47- Cambodia-1.31% → -3.29%−1.98
- Iceland3.40% → 1.45%−1.95
Montenegro1.87% → 0.00%−1.87
Cuba1.78% → 0.29%−1.49
193 countries were measured in both 2015 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Forest area change in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
12.30%
Compound annual change in forest area over the interval ending that year (%)
Lowest reading on record
-3.74%
Compound annual change in forest area over the interval ending that year (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
+12.30
0.00% → 12.30%
Biggest decline between editions
−2.64
6.04% → 3.40%
Most improved since first measured
+12.30
0.00% → 12.30%
At the top most often
2 of 3
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About forest area change
This is the average yearly rate at which a country's forest area grew or shrank, as each country reported it to FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment. It is part of SDG indicator 15.2.1, progress towards sustainable forest management: a loss means forest cleared faster than it regrew, a gain means forest planted or regrowing.
What the number is: Compound annual change in forest area over the interval ending that year (%).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where forest area change is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Lower Secondary Completion RateUIS · 162 countries in commonρ 0.51
- Upper Secondary Completion RateKeyUIS · 162 countries in commonρ 0.51
- Minimum Proficiency in Mathematics, End of PrimaryUIS · 116 countries in commonρ 0.49
Moves against
Where forest area change is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 193 countries in commonρ −0.50
- Informal Employment RateILO · 95 countries in commonρ −0.49
- Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 142 countries in commonρ −0.49
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 382 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The data, edition by edition
11Questions
Forest area change: questions and answers
Which country has the highest forest area change?
Bahrain, at 12.30%, among the 193 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest forest area change?
Cambodia, at -3.29%, among the 193 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Annual Forest Area Change Rate cover?
193 in 2025.
What is the world average forest area change?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 193 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.00%.
Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Annual Forest Area Change Rate published?
This site holds 3 reference years, 2000–2025, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2025 report on one method — not 3 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. FAOSTAT's SDG Indicators domain, which republishes the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, read from FAO's own bulk download. Readings are published to two decimal places. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Annual Forest Area Change Rate — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
FAOSTAT's SDG Indicators domain, which republishes the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, read from FAO's own bulk download. Readings are published to two decimal places.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: FAO. 2026. FAOSTAT: SDG Indicators (SDG indicator 15.2.1, from the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025). Accessed on 3 October 2026. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/SDGB Licence: CC-BY-4.0.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-10-03.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Forest area change by country: Annual Forest Area Change Rate, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/forest-area-change