Global Forest Growth Over the Past Two Decades

What we’re showing

A treemap ranking the countries by their total increase in their forest area between 2001–21, measured in square kilometers (km²).

Key Takeaway

China has increased its forest area by roughly the size of Sweden since 2001, a staggering 24% growth in two decades. By absolute numbers, China’s growth is even more impressive. Its forest cover growth is more than the next 19 increases combined.

Other countries that stand out include:

• Vietnam whose forests as a percentage of total land area has doubled since 1990.
• Chile and Uruguay are the only two South American countries that have grown their forest cover in the last two decades.