Countries by Forest Area

What Forest Area (Km²) Measures

Forest Area (Km²) is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Forest Area (Km²) across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 0 (Qatar) to 8.15 million (Russia) — an infinitely large difference across 213 countries.

Regional Patterns

The top 20 is globally diverse, with countries from 6 continents represented. No single region dominates, suggesting this metric is driven more by national conditions than by broad continental patterns.

The distribution is highly right-skewed — a few countries have exceptionally high values that pull the average well above the median. The median (20.9K) is far more representative than the mean (189.4K).

Notable Outliers

Russia stands far above the rest, with a value 65% higher than second-place Brazil. This extraordinary lead suggests unique national circumstances — geographic scale, resource endowment, or policy choices — that set it apart from even its closest competitors.

Continental Leaders

Europe

Russia

8.15 million

South America

Brazil

4.93 million

North America

Canada

3.47 million

Asia

China

2.26 million

Oceania

Australia

1.34 million

Africa

Congo, Democratic Republic

1.23 million