South Africa: Forest area, percent

The latest value from 2023 is 14 percent, unchanged from 14 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 31.6 percent, based on data from 194 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1990 to 2023 is 14.5 percent. The minimum value, 14 percent, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 15 percent was recorded in 1990. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

Definition: Forest area (% of land area) is the share of total land area that is under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.