Ranked: Countries With the Largest Share of Global Forests
Key Takeaways
- Russia accounts for 20.1% of the world’s forest area, almost as much as Brazil and Canada combined.
- Just five countries hold more than half of the world’s forests.
- The Americas and Asia-Pacific each contain roughly 39% of global forest area, together accounting for nearly 78% of the world total.
The world’s forests cover roughly 4.1 billion hectares, spanning countries and regions across the globe.
This visualization ranks countries by their share of global forest area in 2025 and groups them by region, based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization via Our World in Data.
A Handful of Countries Dominate Global Forest Area
Russia stands apart from every other country, accounting for 20.1% of global forest area. Its share is nearly twice Brazil’s 11.7%, while Canada ranks third at 8.9%.
For this graphic, Russia is grouped with Asia-Pacific, as roughly three-quarters of its land area lies in Asia.
| Rank | Country | Hectares (2025) | Global Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 832,629,950 | 20.1% |
| 2 | Brazil | 486,086,620 | 11.7% |
| 3 | Canada | 368,818,850 | 8.9% |
| 4 | United States | 308,895,000 | 7.5% |
| 5 | China | 227,153,000 | 5.5% |
| 6 | DR Congo | 139,189,040 | 3.4% |
| 7 | Australia | 133,561,590 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Indonesia | 95,969,300 | 2.3% |
| 9 | India | 72,739,000 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Peru | 67,159,760 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Mexico | 66,265,590 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Angola | 63,262,330 | 1.5% |
| 13 | Colombia | 59,456,860 | 1.4% |
| 14 | Bolivia | 54,370,268 | 1.3% |
| 15 | Venezuela | 47,088,240 | 1.1% |
| 16 | Argentina | 46,598,000 | 1.1% |
| 17 | Central African Republic | 45,094,870 | 1.1% |
| 18 | Zambia | 44,874,290 | 1.1% |
| 19 | Tanzania | 43,400,000 | 1.0% |
| 20 | Papua New Guinea | 34,028,960 | 0.8% |
| 21 | Mozambique | 32,242,900 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Sweden | 27,934,000 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Myanmar | 27,095,320 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Ethiopia | 26,747,100 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Japan | 24,908,000 | 0.6% |
| 26 | Gabon | 23,555,310 | 0.6% |
| 27 | South Africa | 22,881,420 | 0.6% |
| 28 | Turkey | 22,805,760 | 0.6% |
| 29 | Finland | 22,543,000 | 0.5% |
| 30 | Sudan | 21,980,400 | 0.5% |
| 31 | Congo | 21,853,800 | 0.5% |
| 32 | Thailand | 19,647,480 | 0.5% |
| 33 | Cameroon | 19,143,220 | 0.5% |
| 34 | Spain | 19,132,780 | 0.5% |
| 35 | Malaysia | 18,884,740 | 0.5% |
| 36 | Guyana | 18,377,190 | 0.4% |
| 37 | Chile | 18,161,900 | 0.4% |
| 38 | France | 17,795,000 | 0.4% |
| 39 | Nigeria | 17,129,960 | 0.4% |
| 40 | Botswana | 15,730,200 | 0.4% |
| 41 | Vietnam | 14,790,080 | 0.4% |
| 42 | Suriname | 14,674,200 | 0.4% |
| 43 | Paraguay | 14,297,390 | 0.3% |
| 44 | Mongolia | 14,178,330 | 0.3% |
| 45 | Zimbabwe | 13,766,010 | 0.3% |
| 46 | Laos | 13,036,040 | 0.3% |
| 47 | Ecuador | 12,310,320 | 0.3% |
| 48 | Norway | 12,108,640 | 0.3% |
| 49 | Germany | 11,481,400 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Iran | 10,751,000 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Mali | 10,479,250 | 0.3% |
| 52 | New Zealand | 10,303,030 | 0.2% |
| 53 | Ukraine | 10,090,000 | 0.2% |
| 54 | Madagascar | 9,922,080 | 0.2% |
| 55 | Poland | 9,495,000 | 0.2% |
| 56 | Italy | 9,421,960 | 0.2% |
| 57 | Belarus | 8,975,400 | 0.2% |
| 58 | Senegal | 8,649,320 | 0.2% |
| 59 | Namibia | 8,042,960 | 0.2% |
| 60 | French Guiana | 7,981,950 | 0.2% |
| 61 | North Korea | 7,727,930 | 0.2% |
| 62 | Philippines | 7,438,640 | 0.2% |
| 63 | South Sudan | 7,160,000 | 0.2% |
| 64 | Ghana | 7,056,360 | 0.2% |
| 65 | Romania | 6,957,130 | 0.2% |
| 66 | Cambodia | 6,333,170 | 0.2% |
| 67 | Liberia | 6,326,520 | 0.2% |
| 68 | South Korea | 6,279,130 | 0.2% |
| 69 | Nepal | 6,266,250 | 0.2% |
| 70 | Honduras | 5,861,330 | 0.1% |
| 71 | Morocco | 5,695,340 | 0.1% |
| 72 | Guinea | 4,857,310 | 0.1% |
| 73 | Somalia | 4,829,750 | 0.1% |
| 74 | Nicaragua | 4,780,700 | 0.1% |
| 75 | Greece | 4,762,800 | 0.1% |
| 76 | Panama | 4,614,610 | 0.1% |
| 77 | Bulgaria | 3,959,000 | 0.1% |
| 78 | Kenya | 3,913,810 | 0.1% |
| 79 | Austria | 3,903,910 | 0.1% |
| 80 | Uzbekistan | 3,894,190 | 0.1% |
| 81 | Cote d'Ivoire | 3,774,130 | 0.1% |
| 82 | Cuba | 3,622,380 | 0.1% |
| 83 | Chad | 3,611,320 | 0.1% |
| 84 | Guatemala | 3,535,650 | 0.1% |
| 85 | Kazakhstan | 3,520,510 | 0.1% |
| 86 | Serbia | 3,475,200 | 0.1% |
| 87 | Latvia | 3,466,960 | 0.1% |
| 88 | Portugal | 3,362,630 | 0.1% |
| 89 | United Kingdom | 3,278,000 | 0.1% |
| 90 | Burkina Faso | 3,236,970 | 0.1% |
| 91 | Pakistan | 3,192,460 | 0.1% |
| 92 | Benin | 3,133,270 | 0.1% |
| 93 | Georgia | 3,100,500 | 0.1% |
| 94 | Costa Rica | 2,989,640 | 0.1% |
| 95 | Czechia | 2,968,360 | 0.1% |
| 96 | Saudi Arabia | 2,775,550 | 0.1% |
| 97 | Bhutan | 2,674,740 | 0.1% |
| 98 | Solomon Islands | 2,513,930 | 0.1% |
| 99 | Estonia | 2,446,750 | 0.1% |
| 100 | Sierra Leone | 2,436,270 | 0.1% |
| 101 | Equatorial Guinea | 2,406,620 | 0.1% |
| 102 | Uganda | 2,367,670 | 0.1% |
| 103 | Turkmenistan | 2,330,000 | 0.1% |
| 104 | Dominican Republic | 2,257,460 | 0.1% |
| 105 | Lithuania | 2,216,340 | 0.1% |
| 106 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,162,080 | 0.1% |
| 107 | Sri Lanka | 2,120,690 | 0.1% |
| 108 | Guinea-Bissau | 2,099,590 | 0.1% |
| 109 | Hungary | 2,087,370 | 0.1% |
| 110 | Malawi | 2,031,700 | 0.0% |
| 111 | Uruguay | 2,024,000 | 0.0% |
| 112 | Croatia | 1,946,200 | 0.0% |
| 113 | Slovakia | 1,940,490 | 0.0% |
| 114 | Bangladesh | 1,873,420 | 0.0% |
| 115 | Algeria | 1,691,360 | 0.0% |
| 116 | Eritrea | 1,442,020 | 0.0% |
| 117 | Belize | 1,315,050 | 0.0% |
| 118 | Switzerland | 1,267,020 | 0.0% |
| 119 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,255,480 | 0.0% |
| 120 | Slovenia | 1,243,550 | 0.0% |
| 121 | Togo | 1,224,460 | 0.0% |
| 122 | Azerbaijan | 1,213,660 | 0.0% |
| 123 | Afghanistan | 1,209,440 | 0.0% |
| 124 | Fiji | 1,136,600 | 0.0% |
| 125 | Niger | 1,055,100 | 0.0% |
| 126 | East Timor | 1,054,330 | 0.0% |
| 127 | North Macedonia | 1,026,100 | 0.0% |
| 128 | Mauritania | 1,019,130 | 0.0% |
| 129 | Albania | 941,000 | 0.0% |
| 130 | Vanuatu | 907,440 | 0.0% |
| 131 | New Caledonia | 892,610 | 0.0% |
| 132 | Ireland | 832,850 | 0.0% |
| 133 | Montenegro | 827,000 | 0.0% |
| 134 | Iraq | 692,550 | 0.0% |
| 135 | Tunisia | 687,490 | 0.0% |
| 136 | El Salvador | 684,840 | 0.0% |
| 137 | Belgium | 670,520 | 0.0% |
| 138 | Denmark | 642,560 | 0.0% |
| 139 | Rwanda | 634,630 | 0.0% |
| 140 | Jamaica | 616,310 | 0.0% |
| 141 | Yemen | 549,000 | 0.0% |
| 142 | Western Sahara | 529,220 | 0.0% |
| 143 | Syria | 527,810 | 0.0% |
| 144 | Bahamas | 509,860 | 0.0% |
| 145 | Puerto Rico | 436,060 | 0.0% |
| 146 | Eswatini | 433,070 | 0.0% |
| 147 | Tajikistan | 424,500 | 0.0% |
| 148 | Brunei | 380,000 | 0.0% |
| 149 | Haiti | 372,100 | 0.0% |
| 150 | Moldova | 370,300 | 0.0% |
| 151 | Netherlands | 369,330 | 0.0% |
| 152 | Armenia | 334,100 | 0.0% |
| 153 | United Arab Emirates | 324,580 | 0.0% |
| 154 | Burundi | 279,640 | 0.0% |
| 155 | Trinidad and Tobago | 226,050 | 0.0% |
| 156 | Gambia | 209,470 | 0.0% |
| 157 | Libya | 205,330 | 0.0% |
| 158 | Cyprus | 171,700 | 0.0% |
| 159 | Samoa | 159,760 | 0.0% |
| 160 | Israel | 150,000 | 0.0% |
| 161 | French Polynesia | 149,460 | 0.0% |
| 162 | Lebanon | 141,320 | 0.0% |
| 163 | Luxembourg | 88,700 | 0.0% |
| 164 | Reunion | 77,150 | 0.0% |
| 165 | Guadeloupe | 75,600 | 0.0% |
| 166 | Jordan | 70,700 | 0.0% |
| 167 | Micronesia (country) | 64,570 | 0.0% |
| 168 | Iceland | 61,480 | 0.0% |
| 169 | Dominica | 57,350 | 0.0% |
| 170 | Sao Tome and Principe | 55,280 | 0.0% |
| 171 | Martinique | 52,670 | 0.0% |
| 172 | Cape Verde | 51,060 | 0.0% |
| 173 | Palau | 41,870 | 0.0% |
| 174 | Mauritius | 38,290 | 0.0% |
| 175 | Lesotho | 34,520 | 0.0% |
| 176 | Comoros | 33,370 | 0.0% |
| 177 | Saint Lucia | 32,840 | 0.0% |
| 178 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 28,560 | 0.0% |
| 179 | Guam | 28,270 | 0.0% |
| 180 | Seychelles | 26,520 | 0.0% |
| 181 | Northern Mariana Islands | 24,360 | 0.0% |
| 182 | United States Virgin Islands | 20,660 | 0.0% |
| 183 | Niue | 18,870 | 0.0% |
| 184 | Andorra | 18,220 | 0.0% |
| 185 | Grenada | 17,700 | 0.0% |
| 186 | American Samoa | 15,850 | 0.0% |
| 187 | Singapore | 15,800 | 0.0% |
| 188 | Cook Islands | 15,590 | 0.0% |
| 189 | Cayman Islands | 12,720 | 0.0% |
| 190 | Palestine | 11,100 | 0.0% |
| 191 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 11,000 | 0.0% |
| 192 | Wallis and Futuna | 10,820 | 0.0% |
| 193 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 10,520 | 0.0% |
| 194 | British Virgin Islands | 9,970 | 0.0% |
| 195 | Marshall Islands | 9,710 | 0.0% |
| 196 | Mayotte | 9,600 | 0.0% |
| 197 | Tonga | 8,730 | 0.0% |
| 198 | Antigua and Barbuda | 7,790 | 0.0% |
| 199 | Barbados | 6,300 | 0.0% |
| 200 | Kuwait | 6,300 | 0.0% |
| 201 | Liechtenstein | 5,980 | 0.0% |
| 202 | Djibouti | 5,930 | 0.0% |
| 203 | Anguilla | 5,500 | 0.0% |
| 204 | Bahrain | 4,370 | 0.0% |
| 205 | Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba | 4,210 | 0.0% |
| 206 | Egypt | 4,110 | 0.0% |
| 207 | Maldives | 3,720 | 0.0% |
| 208 | Pitcairn | 3,690 | 0.0% |
| 209 | Isle of Man | 3,670 | 0.0% |
| 210 | Montserrat | 2,420 | 0.0% |
| 211 | Oman | 1,600 | 0.0% |
| 212 | Qatar | 1,400 | 0.0% |
| 213 | Saint Martin (French part) | 1,240 | 0.0% |
| 214 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 1,100 | 0.0% |
| 215 | Kiribati | 1,070 | 0.0% |
| 216 | Tuvalu | 1,030 | 0.0% |
| 217 | San Marino | 1,000 | 0.0% |
| 218 | Bermuda | 780 | 0.0% |
| 219 | Jersey | 680 | 0.0% |
| 220 | Aruba | 490 | 0.0% |
| 221 | Norfolk Island | 490 | 0.0% |
| 222 | Guernsey | 470 | 0.0% |
| 223 | Malta | 470 | 0.0% |
| 224 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 300 | 0.0% |
| 225 | Greenland | 220 | 0.0% |
| 226 | Saint Barthelemy | 170 | 0.0% |
| 227 | Faroe Islands | 80 | 0.0% |
| 228 | Curacao | 70 | 0.0% |
| 229 | Falkland Islands | 0 | 0.0% |
| 230 | Gibraltar | 0 | 0.0% |
| 231 | Monaco | 0 | 0.0% |
| 232 | Nauru | 0 | 0.0% |
| 233 | Tokelau | 0 | 0.0% |
| 234 | Vatican | 0 | 0.0% |
| -- | World Total | 4,140,214,518 | 100.0% |
The Americas are especially prominent near the top of the global ranking. Eight of the 15 countries with the most forest area are in the region, including Brazil, Canada, the U.S., Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela.
Africa presents a different picture. The continent holds 16.0% of the global total, but its forests are spread across a larger number of countries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo leads the region with 3.4% of the world’s forest area.
| Global Region | Global Forest Area in 2025 (hectares) |
Share |
|---|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 1.61 billion | 39.0% |
| Americas | 1.61 billion | 38.9% |
| Africa | 0.66 billion | 16.0% |
| Europe | 0.20 billion | 4.9% |
| Middle East | 0.04 billion | 1.0% |
| World Total | 4.14 billion | 100.0% |
Meanwhile, the Middle East accounts for just 1.0% of global forest area, highlighting the wide differences in forest area across regions.
Wildfires Put Forest Concentration in Focus
Where the world’s forests are located matters during major wildfire seasons.
Canada experienced its second-worst fire year on record in 2025, when wildfires caused 5.3 million hectares of tree cover loss. Fires accounted for 42% of the 25.5 million hectares of global tree cover lost that year.
That risk remains visible in 2026. Major wildfires in British Columbia have forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate, while smoke has crossed into parts of the United States.
With nearly three in every 10 hectares of the world’s forests located in Russia and Canada, major fires in either country can affect carbon emissions and air quality thousands of miles away.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on global forest growth over the past two decades.