Forest Coverage by Country

Explore forest coverage (% of land area) and total forest area by country on an interactive 3D globe.

Data source: World Bank — AG.LND.FRST.ZS (~2021 estimates). All data is stored locally; no external request is made.

Map borders: Natural Earth via world-atlas TopoJSON (1:110 m scale). Borders reflect de facto administrative control and do not imply any position on the legal status of disputed territories.

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About forest coverage

What is forest coverage?

Forest coverage (or forest cover) is the percentage of a country's land area that is covered by forests. It includes tropical rainforests, boreal taiga, temperate woodlands and all other types of tree-covered land. According to the World Bank, forests currently cover about 31% of the world's land surface.

Which countries are most forested?

Suriname leads with over 96% forest cover, followed by Gabon (~90%) and Papua New Guinea (~74%). Nordic countries such as Finland (~74%) and Sweden (~69%) are the most forested in Europe. Countries with dense populations and intensive agriculture — such as Egypt, Qatar and Kuwait — have less than 1% forest cover.

Forest area vs. forest coverage

A high coverage percentage does not necessarily mean a large forest area. Russia holds by far the largest total forest area (~8 million km²), representing about 20% of the world's forests, even though its coverage rate is a moderate 50%. Brazil (~5 million km²) and Canada (~3.5 million km²) follow. By contrast, small island nations like Suriname have near-total coverage but a much smaller absolute forest area.

Top 10 rankings

Highest forest coverage

#	Country	Coverage
1	Suriname	96.1 %
2	Gabon	89.5 %
3	Papua New Guinea	74.1 %
4	Finland	73.7 %
5	Bhutan	71.1 %
6	Guinea-Bissau	71.8 %
7	Japan	68.5 %
8	Sweden	68.7 %
9	Laos	67.9 %
10	Guyana	83.9 %

Lowest forest coverage

#	Country	Coverage
1	Qatar	0.0 %
2	Kuwait	0.4 %
3	Bahrain	0.5 %
4	Libya	0.1 %
5	Egypt	0.1 %
6	Djibouti	0.2 %
7	Mauritania	0.2 %
8	Niger	1.0 %
9	Saudi Arabia	1.0 %
10	Algeria	0.8 %

Largest forest areas

#	Country	Forest area
1	Russia	7 920 000 km²
2	Brazil	4 776 980 km²
3	Canada	3 470 690 km²
4	United States	3 100 950 km²
5	China	2 201 890 km²
6	DR Congo	1 522 670 km²
7	Australia	1 248 550 km²
8	Indonesia	1 001 390 km²
9	Peru	739 790 km²
10	India	720 260 km²

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest forest coverage?

Suriname has the world's highest forest coverage, with over 96% of its territory covered by forests. Gabon, Papua New Guinea and Finland are also among the most forested countries.

Which country has the largest forest area?

Russia has the largest total forest area in the world, with approximately 8 million km² of forested land — about 20% of all forests on Earth.

Which countries have almost no forests?

Countries in arid regions such as Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Libya have less than 0.5% forest cover because their climate does not support tree growth at scale.

How much of the world is covered by forests?

According to the World Bank, forests cover approximately 31% of the world's total land area — about 4 billion hectares.

Are the world's forests shrinking?

Overall, yes. Global forest area has been declining due to deforestation for agriculture, urban expansion and logging. However, some countries have increased their forest cover through reforestation programmes. The Amazon rainforest in Brazil and forests in Southeast Asia have seen the most significant losses.

What counts as a "forest" in this data?

The World Bank uses the FAO definition: land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees taller than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 10%. This excludes trees in agricultural production systems and urban parks.