Forestland — Area in South Africa
South Africa: Forestland — Area was 22,881 1000 ha in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forestland — Area in South Africa, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
In 2025, forestland — area in South Africa stood at 22,881 1000 ha. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forestland — area in South Africa peaked at 22,881 1000 ha in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19,817 1000 ha, in 1990.
That places South Africa 26th out of 223 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Forestland — Area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19,817 1000 ha | — |
| 1991 | 19,904 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 19,992 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 20,079 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 20,167 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 20,254 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 20,342 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 20,430 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 20,517 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 20,605 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 20,692 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 20,780 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 20,867 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 20,955 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 21,042 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 21,130 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 21,218 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 21,305 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 21,393 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 21,480 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 21,568 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 21,656 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 21,743 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 21,831 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 21,918 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 22,006 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 22,093 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 22,181 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 22,268 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 22,356 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 22,444 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 22,531 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 22,619 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 22,706 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 22,794 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 22,881 1000 ha | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20,211 1000 ha | 19,817 1000 ha | 20,605 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,086 1000 ha | 20,692 1000 ha | 21,480 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,962 1000 ha | 21,568 1000 ha | 22,356 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,663 1000 ha | 22,444 1000 ha | 22,881 1000 ha | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.45 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forestland — area in South Africa?
- Forestland — area in South Africa was 22,881 1000 ha in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forestland — area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22,881 1000 ha in 2025.
- What is the lowest forestland — area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,817 1000 ha in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for forestland — area?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forestland — area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forestland — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Forests consists of CO2 emissions and removals corresponding to forest carbon stock changes (aboveground and belowground living biomass). Estimates are computed following the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC, 2006).