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Forest area in Nigeria

Nigeria: Forest area was 23.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
23.2%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
124th
of 214 countries
All-time high
29.1%
in 1990
All-time low
23.2%
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Forest area in Nigeria, 1990–2023

01020301990200620231990: 29.1 % of land area1991: 28.9 % of land area1992: 28.8 % of land area1993: 28.6 % of land area1994: 28.4 % of land area1995: 28.2 % of land area1996: 28 % of land area1997: 27.9 % of land area1998: 27.7 % of land area1999: 27.5 % of land area2000: 27.3 % of land area2001: 27.2 % of land area2002: 27 % of land area2003: 26.8 % of land area2004: 26.6 % of land area2005: 26.4 % of land area2006: 26.3 % of land area2007: 26.1 % of land area2008: 25.9 % of land area2009: 25.7 % of land area2010: 25.5 % of land area2011: 25.4 % of land area2012: 25.2 % of land area2013: 25 % of land area2014: 24.8 % of land area2015: 24.6 % of land area2016: 24.5 % of land area2017: 24.3 % of land area2018: 24.1 % of land area2019: 23.9 % of land area2020: 23.7 % of land area2021: 23.6 % of land area2022: 23.4 % of land area2023: 23.2 % of land area

Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.

Analysis

In 2023, forest area in Nigeria stood at 23.2%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest area in Nigeria peaked at 29.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 23.2%, in 2023.

Nigeria ranks 124th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28.3% 27.5% 29.1% 10
2000s 26.5% 25.7% 27.3% 10
2010s 24.7% 23.9% 25.5% 10
2020s 23.5% 23.2% 23.7% 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 121 Philippines 24.5% compare
  2. 122 British Virgin Islands 24.1% compare
  3. 123 China 24.0% compare
  4. 125 Belgium 22.6% compare
  5. 126 Hungary 22.4% compare
  6. 127 Malawi 22.4% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest area in Nigeria?
Forest area in Nigeria was 23.2% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1990.
What is the lowest forest area recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 23.2% in 2023.
How does Nigeria rank for forest area?
Nigeria ranks 124th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
Is forest area rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Forest area (% of land area)
Unit
% of land area
Source
FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 8,639 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

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.