FAO · Forest Area within Legally Established Protected Areas
Protected forest by country
How much of a country's forest lies inside legally protected areas?
Of the 179 countries compared in 2025, Saudi Arabia had the highest reading, 100.00%, and 2 countries shared the lowest reading, 0.00%. In the middle country the figure was 18.18%. Among the 146 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 8.63% to 16.95%.
Share
Part ofEnvironment & Sustainability
Protected forest · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 179Saudi Arabia
100.00%012025 · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 179 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Mardetanha · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3
Lowest in 2025
Oman0.00%
Comoros0.00%
Mauritania0.31%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Zambia82.55% - Americas
Venezuela78.32% - AsiaSaudi Arabia100.00%
- Europe
Netherlands59.48% - Oceania
New Zealand36.22% - Every region
02Every measured country
Protected forest 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.
- 0.00–7.11%
- 7.18–14.28%
- 14.47–22.39%
- 22.74–36.01%
- 36.22–100.00%
- No reading in 2025 (1 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
21.74%
the middle country, of 35 measured · 49 members
Netherlands59.48%
Iceland2.99%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
20.99%
the middle country, of 35 measured · 48 members
Venezuela78.32%
El Salvador2.72%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
18.23%
the middle country, of 44 measured · 52 members
Saudi Arabia100.00%Oman0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
16.81%
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Zambia82.55%Comoros0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
3.98%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 21 members
New Zealand36.22%
Vanuatu0.33%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Central America
35.29%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Belize54.46%El Salvador2.72%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Africa
32.63%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Zambia82.55%Comoros0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Southern Europe
26.75%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 17 members
Croatia45.47%
Andorra7.11%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Europe
26.59%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands59.48%
Switzerland7.70%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
25.66%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Indonesia54.48%
Brunei5.00%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
22.88%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Slovakia54.25%
Czechia14.28%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South America
22.17%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Venezuela78.32%
Uruguay3.04%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Middle Africa
18.18%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe53.61%
Central African Republic1.25%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Southern Asia
17.57%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka69.47%
Maldives0.81%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Africa
17.57%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Guinea54.38%Mauritania0.31%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Caribbean
15.73%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 24 members
Saint Kitts and Nevis37.55%
Barbados4.76%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Africa
14.48%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Namibia20.95%
Eswatini5.13%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
14.47%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Mongolia20.99%
South Korea7.18%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Northern Europe
13.97%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Lithuania32.69%Iceland2.99%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Asia
11.41%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Saudi Arabia100.00%Oman0.00%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
6.31%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Sudan11.42%
Egypt0.74%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand36.22%
Australia18.09%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan99.74%
Kyrgyzstan7.45%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Papua New Guinea3.98%Vanuatu0.33%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Marshall Islands, Micronesia.
Micronesia16.18%
Marshall Islands1.49%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States9.99%
Canada9.75%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: American Samoa, Samoa, Tuvalu.
American Samoa16.03%
Tuvalu0.97%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
179 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 18.18%; a quarter are above 33.38%, and a quarter below 9.04%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 180 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. The share is of forest, not of land, so a country with a small forest that is entirely protected reads 100% — dry countries can top this table. Countries define a protected area differently, and the figure measures legal designation, not whether the forest inside is intact.
Showing 25 of 180 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2020 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 6 reference years
Over time
There are six readings from 1990 to 2025. FAO measures every year against the country's forest area in 2015, so a change mostly reflects new protected areas rather than forest gained or lost.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 146 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 179 | 18.18% | 9.04% – 33.38% | 16.95% |
| 2020 | 180 | 16.95% | 8.63% – 32.84% | 15.98% |
| 2015 | 171 | 17.04% | 8.59% – 31.65% | 16.11% |
| 2010 | 167 | 15.73% | 7.14% – 29.81% | 15.28% |
| 2000 | 156 | 12.06% | 4.87% – 23.90% | 11.75% |
| 1990 | 147 | 8.62% | 2.65% – 21.31% | 8.63% |
062020 → 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 → after
Sierra Leone9.06% → 40.65%+31.59
Georgia10.19% → 29.44%+19.25
Slovenia19.59% → 36.32%+16.73- Zambia69.57% → 82.55%+12.98
Chad35.45% → 45.62%+10.17
179 countries were measured in both 2020 and 2025. The field changed from 180 to 179 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Protected forest in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
100.00%
Forest within legally established protected areas, as a share of the country's 2015 forest area (%)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 24 times by 9 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.00%
Forest within legally established protected areas, as a share of the country's 2015 forest area (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
+53.61
0.00% → 53.61%
Biggest decline between editions
−13.89
29.76% → 15.87%
Most improved since first measured
+56.35
43.39% → 99.74%
At the top most often
6 of 6
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About protected forest
This is the share of a country's forest that lies inside legally established protected areas, 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.
What the number is: Forest within legally established protected areas, as a share of the country's 2015 forest area (%).
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 protected forest is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where protected forest is higher, these tend to be lower.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 374 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 countries at either end
11Questions
Protected forest: questions and answers
Which country has the highest protected forest?
Saudi Arabia, at 100.00%, among the 179 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest protected forest?
2 countries share the lowest reading, 0.00%, among the 179 compared in 2025, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Forest Area within Legally Established Protected Areas cover?
179 in 2025, and 180 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 147 to 180 between editions.
What is the world average protected forest?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 179 compared in 2025, the figure was 18.18%.
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 Forest Area within Legally Established Protected Areas published?
This site holds 6 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2025 report on one method — not 6 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
Forest Area within Legally Established Protected Areas — 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.
- Saudi Arabia — Mardetanha, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Uzbekistan — Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0
- Zambia — Kkibumba, CC0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Protected forest by country: Forest Area within Legally Established Protected Areas, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/protected-forest