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Countries in Africa Ranked by Forest area (2025)

Forest area: each country's latest value (2020–2025), ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

Congo, Dem. Rep. ranks #1 with 1.39 million km². That is 2.2 times Angola in second place (632,620 km²). The top five are Congo, Dem. Rep., Angola, Central African Republic, Zambia and Tanzania. Together the top 10 account for 70% of the total across the 54 countries in Africa listed. The median across all 54 is 36,927 km²; Egypt, Arab Rep. is last at 41.1 km². Congo, Dem. Rep.'s figure has fallen 9% since 2001 (1.53 million km² to 1.39 million km² in 2025).

#1
Congo, Dem. Rep. · 1.39 million km²
Median
36,927 km²
Coverage
54 countries in Africa
Data year
2025
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Forest areaBar chart of the top 10: 1. Congo, Dem. Rep. 1.39 million; 2. Angola 632,620; 3. Central African Republic 450,950; 4. Zambia 448,740; 5. Tanzania 434,000; 6. Mozambique 322,430; 7. Ethiopia 267,470; 8. Gabon 235,550; 9. South Africa 228,810; 10. Sudan 219,800.Congo, Dem. Rep.1.39 millionAngola632,620Central African Republic450,950Zambia448,740Tanzania434,000Mozambique322,430Ethiopia267,470Gabon235,550South Africa228,810Sudan219,800
Top 10: Forest area (km²). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Congo, Dem. Rep. 1.39 million; 2. Angola 632,620; 3. Central African Republic 450,950; 4. Zambia 448,740; 5. Tanzania 434,000; 6. Mozambique 322,430; 7. Ethiopia 267,470; 8. Gabon 235,550; 9. South Africa 228,810; 10. Sudan 219,800.
Forest area over time, top 5Congo, Dem. Rep.: 1.53 million in 2001 to 1.39 million in 2025; Angola: 755,030 in 2001 to 632,620 in 2025; Central African Republic: 460,500 in 2001 to 450,950 in 2025; Zambia: 470,180 in 2001 to 448,740 in 2025; Tanzania: 537,320 in 2001 to 434,000 in 2025.0382,800765,6001.15 million1.53 million200120132025Congo, Dem. Rep.AngolaCentral African Rep…ZambiaTanzania
Forest area over time, top 5 (km²). Congo, Dem. Rep.: 1.53 million in 2001 to 1.39 million in 2025; Angola: 755,030 in 2001 to 632,620 in 2025; Central African Republic: 460,500 in 2001 to 450,950 in 2025; Zambia: 470,180 in 2001 to 448,740 in 2025; Tanzania: 537,320 in 2001 to 434,000 in 2025.
Share of the total: Forest areaCongo, Dem. Rep. 21.0%; Angola 9.6%; Central African Republic 6.8%; Zambia 6.8%; Tanzania 6.6%; All others 49.3%21%10%49%

Congo, Dem. Rep. 21.0%Angola 9.6%Central African Republic 6.8%Zambia 6.8%Tanzania 6.6%All others 49.3%

Share of the total: Forest area, as a share of 54 countries in Africa. Congo, Dem. Rep. 21.0%; Angola 9.6%; Central African Republic 6.8%; Zambia 6.8%; Tanzania 6.6%; All others 49.3%.

Full ranking

Countries in Africa Ranked by Forest area, 2025
RankCountryForest area (km²)
1Congo, Dem. Rep.1,391,900
2Angola632,620
3Central African Republic450,950
4Zambia448,740
5Tanzania434,000
6Mozambique322,430
7Ethiopia267,470
8Gabon235,550
9South Africa228,810
10Sudan219,800
11Congo, Rep.218,540
12Cameroon191,430
13Nigeria171,300
14Botswana157,300
15Zimbabwe137,660
16Mali104,790
17Madagascar99,221
18Senegal86,493
19Namibia80,430
20South Sudan71,600
21Ghana70,564
22Liberia63,265
23Morocco56,953
24Guinea48,573
25Somalia, Fed. Rep.48,298
26Kenya39,138
27Côte d'Ivoire37,741
28Chad36,113
29Burkina Faso32,370
30Benin31,333
31Sierra Leone24,363
32Equatorial Guinea24,066
33Uganda23,677
34Guinea-Bissau20,996
35Malawi20,317
36Algeria16,914
37Eritrea14,420
38Togo12,245
39Niger10,551
40Mauritania10,191
41Tunisia6,875
42Rwanda6,346
43Eswatini4,331
44Burundi2,796
45Gambia, The2,095
46Libya2,053
47São Tomé and Principe552.8
48Cabo Verde510.6
49Mauritius382.9
50Lesotho345.2
51Comoros333.7
52Seychelles265.2
53Djibouti59.3
54Egypt, Arab Rep.41.1

About the top 10

#9 South Africa

South Africa ranks #9 on this list with 228,810 km².

Capital
Pretoria, Cape Town
Continent
Africa
Income group
Upper middle income
Population
64.75 million people (2025)
GDP
US$427.18 billion (2025)
GDP per person
US$6,598 (2025)
Life expectancy
66.3 years (2024)
Urban population
63.8% of population (2025)

Largest cities: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg, Cape Town.

Also ranks #2 in unemployment rate · #2 in youth unemployment rate · #2 in income share of richest 10%.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Forest area: each country's latest value (2020–2025), ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator AG.LND.FRST.K2. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Forest area (sq. km): FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.