Forestland — Area in Western Africa

Western Africa: Forestland — Area was 72,740 1000 ha in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
72,740 1000 ha
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
22nd
of 31 groups
All-time high
99,361 1000 ha
in 1990
All-time low
72,740 1000 ha
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Forestland — Area in Western Africa, 1990–2025

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k1990200720251990: 99.4k 1000 ha1991: 98.5k 1000 ha1992: 97.6k 1000 ha1993: 96.7k 1000 ha1994: 95.8k 1000 ha1995: 94.8k 1000 ha1996: 93.9k 1000 ha1997: 93.0k 1000 ha1998: 92.1k 1000 ha1999: 91.2k 1000 ha2000: 90.3k 1000 ha2001: 89.6k 1000 ha2002: 88.8k 1000 ha2003: 88.1k 1000 ha2004: 87.3k 1000 ha2005: 86.6k 1000 ha2006: 85.9k 1000 ha2007: 85.1k 1000 ha2008: 84.4k 1000 ha2009: 83.6k 1000 ha2010: 82.9k 1000 ha2011: 82.1k 1000 ha2012: 81.2k 1000 ha2013: 80.4k 1000 ha2014: 79.6k 1000 ha2015: 78.8k 1000 ha2016: 78.2k 1000 ha2017: 77.5k 1000 ha2018: 76.9k 1000 ha2019: 76.3k 1000 ha2020: 75.7k 1000 ha2021: 75.1k 1000 ha2022: 74.5k 1000 ha2023: 73.9k 1000 ha2024: 73.3k 1000 ha2025: 72.7k 1000 ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

Western Africa recorded 72,740 1000 ha for forestland — area in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forestland — area in Western Africa peaked at 99,361 1000 ha in 1990 and was at its lowest, 72,740 1000 ha, in 2025.

Western Africa ranks 22nd of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Forestland — Area in Western Africa, year by year

Annual values for Forestland — Area in Western Africa, 1990 to 2025.
Year 1000 ha Change
1990 99,361 1000 ha
1991 98,458 1000 ha -0.9%
1992 97,556 1000 ha -0.9%
1993 96,653 1000 ha -0.9%
1994 95,751 1000 ha -0.9%
1995 94,848 1000 ha -0.9%
1996 93,946 1000 ha -1.0%
1997 93,044 1000 ha -1.0%
1998 92,141 1000 ha -1.0%
1999 91,239 1000 ha -1.0%
2000 90,336 1000 ha -1.0%
2001 89,589 1000 ha -0.8%
2002 88,842 1000 ha -0.8%
2003 88,095 1000 ha -0.8%
2004 87,348 1000 ha -0.8%
2005 86,601 1000 ha -0.9%
2006 85,853 1000 ha -0.9%
2007 85,106 1000 ha -0.9%
2008 84,359 1000 ha -0.9%
2009 83,612 1000 ha -0.9%
2010 82,865 1000 ha -0.9%
2011 82,051 1000 ha -1.0%
2012 81,237 1000 ha -1.0%
2013 80,423 1000 ha -1.0%
2014 79,609 1000 ha -1.0%
2015 78,795 1000 ha -1.0%
2016 78,166 1000 ha -0.8%
2017 77,537 1000 ha -0.8%
2018 76,908 1000 ha -0.8%
2019 76,279 1000 ha -0.8%
2020 75,650 1000 ha -0.8%
2021 75,068 1000 ha -0.8%
2022 74,486 1000 ha -0.8%
2023 73,904 1000 ha -0.8%
2024 73,322 1000 ha -0.8%
2025 72,740 1000 ha -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 95,300 1000 ha 91,239 1000 ha 99,361 1000 ha 10
2000s 86,974 1000 ha 83,612 1000 ha 90,336 1000 ha 10
2010s 79,387 1000 ha 76,279 1000 ha 82,865 1000 ha 10
2020s 74,195 1000 ha 72,740 1000 ha 75,650 1000 ha 6

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 19 Mozambique 32,243 1000 ha compare
  2. 20 Sudan (former) 31,559 1000 ha compare
  3. 21 Sweden 27,934 1000 ha compare
  4. 22 Myanmar 27,095 1000 ha compare
  5. 23 Ethiopia 26,747 1000 ha compare
  6. 24 Japan 24,908 1000 ha compare
  7. 25 Gabon 23,555 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 275 places →

More climate change data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is forestland — area in Western Africa?
Forestland — area in Western Africa was 72,740 1000 ha in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forestland — area recorded in Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 99,361 1000 ha in 1990.
What is the lowest forestland — area recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 72,740 1000 ha in 2025.
How does Western Africa rank for forestland — area?
Western Africa ranks 22nd out of 31 groups with data for 2025.
Is forestland — area rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Western 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.

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Forestland — Area in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forestland-area-fao-tier-1/western-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forestland — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
275 places, 9,600 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

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).