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Countries in South America 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

Brazil ranks #1 with 4.86 million km². That is 7.2 times Peru in second place (671,600 km²). The top five are Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Venezuela, RB. Together the top 10 account for 98.3% of the total across the 12 countries in South America listed. The median across all 12 is 324,875 km²; Uruguay is last at 20,240 km². Brazil's figure has fallen 13% since 2001 (5.57 million km² to 4.86 million km² in 2025).

#1
Brazil · 4.86 million km²
Median
324,875 km²
Coverage
12 countries in South America
Data year
2025
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Forest areaBar chart of the top 10: 1. Brazil 4.86 million; 2. Peru 671,600; 3. Colombia 594,570; 4. Bolivia 543,700; 5. Venezuela, RB 470,880; 6. Argentina 465,980; 7. Guyana 183,770; 8. Chile 181,620; 9. Suriname 146,740; 10. Paraguay 142,970.Brazil4.86 millionPeru671,600Colombia594,570Bolivia543,700Venezuela, RB470,880Argentina465,980Guyana183,770Chile181,620Suriname146,740Paraguay142,970
Top 10: Forest area (km²). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Brazil 4.86 million; 2. Peru 671,600; 3. Colombia 594,570; 4. Bolivia 543,700; 5. Venezuela, RB 470,880; 6. Argentina 465,980; 7. Guyana 183,770; 8. Chile 181,620; 9. Suriname 146,740; 10. Paraguay 142,970.
Forest area over time, top 5Brazil: 5.57 million in 2001 to 4.86 million in 2025; Peru: 737,450 in 2001 to 671,600 in 2025; Colombia: 624,560 in 2001 to 594,570 in 2025; Bolivia: 589,270 in 2001 to 543,700 in 2025; Venezuela, RB: 491,470 in 2001 to 470,880 in 2025.01.39 million2.79 million4.18 million5.57 million200120132025BrazilPeruColombiaBoliviaVenezuela, RB
Forest area over time, top 5 (km²). Brazil: 5.57 million in 2001 to 4.86 million in 2025; Peru: 737,450 in 2001 to 671,600 in 2025; Colombia: 624,560 in 2001 to 594,570 in 2025; Bolivia: 589,270 in 2001 to 543,700 in 2025; Venezuela, RB: 491,470 in 2001 to 470,880 in 2025.
Share of the total: Forest areaBrazil 57.8%; Peru 8.0%; Colombia 7.1%; Bolivia 6.5%; Venezuela, RB 5.6%; All others 15.0%58%8%15%

Brazil 57.8%Peru 8.0%Colombia 7.1%Bolivia 6.5%Venezuela, RB 5.6%All others 15.0%

Share of the total: Forest area, as a share of 12 countries in South America. Brazil 57.8%; Peru 8.0%; Colombia 7.1%; Bolivia 6.5%; Venezuela, RB 5.6%; All others 15.0%.

Full ranking

Countries in South America Ranked by Forest area, 2025
RankCountryForest area (km²)
1Brazil4,860,900
2Peru671,600
3Colombia594,570
4Bolivia543,700
5Venezuela, RB470,880
6Argentina465,980
7Guyana183,770
8Chile181,620
9Suriname146,740
10Paraguay142,970
11Ecuador123,100
12Uruguay20,240

About the top 10

#5 Venezuela, RB

Venezuela, RB ranks #5 on this list with 470,880 km².

Capital
Caracas
Continent
South America
Income group
Lower middle income
Population
28.52 million people (2025)
GDP
US$99.66 billion (2025)
GDP per person
US$3,495 (2025)
Life expectancy
72.7 years (2024)
Urban population
89.3% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia.

Also ranks #1 in time to start a business (days) · #3 in protected terrestrial area share · #11 in refugee population by origin.

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.