Maldives Forest Area

Maldives’ forest area has remained virtually unchanged over the 35‑year series, rising from 2.73 percent of land in 1990 to a modest 2.75 percent in 2025, the highest level recorded for the country. The all‑time peak of 2.75 percent coincides with the latest year, while the all‑time trough of 2.73 percent occurred in 2022, indicating only a marginal 0.02‑percentage‑point increase across the whole period. This narrow band places Maldives at rank 184 globally, slightly below the Syrian Arab Republic’s 2.84 percent and above Aruba’s 2.33 percent, reflecting a forest cover that is comparable to other small island states rather than to larger continental nations such as Chad (2.99 percent) or Iraq (1.90 percent). The stability of the figure suggests that natural regeneration, limited land‑use change, and the country’s low‑lying topography have constrained both loss and expansion. Continued investment in coastal afforestation and climate‑resilient planting could modestly raise the share of forested land, altering the currently flat trajectory.