Namibia Forest Area
Forest area as % of land area AG.LND.FRST.ZS
Namibia's forest area was 7.63% in 2025, ranked 171st globally. This represents a 2.2% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1990–2025.
Overview
Namibia's forest area stood at 7.63% in 2025, a decline of +0.17% from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 7.63% by 2025. Namibia ranked 171st globally.
Namibia’s forest area has contracted from 10.65 % of its land in 1990, the all‑time peak, to 7.63 % in 2025, the lowest level recorded over the 35‑year series and ranking it 171st globally. This decline of roughly 2.9 percentage points reflects persistent pressures from agricultural expansion, fuel‑wood demand and limited reforestation capacity, a pattern echoed in other Southern African states. By contrast, Eritrea maintains a slightly larger forest cover of 8.57 % and the Kyrgyz Republic records 7.33 %, illustrating that regional peers have not experienced as steep a fall. The downward trajectory aligns with broader trends in arid and semi‑arid nations where land‑use change outweighs natural regeneration. Continued investment in sustainable forest management, coupled with policies that curb deforestation for livestock and charcoal, could stabilise the loss and potentially reverse the trend in the coming decade.
Data & projection
| Year | Forest Area | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 7.55% | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 7.63% | - | - |
| 2025 | 7.63% | −0.17% | #171 |
| 2023 | 7.81% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2022 | 7.89% | −0.09% | #172 |
| 2021 | 7.98% | −0.09% | #172 |
| 2020 | 8.06% | −0.09% | #172 |
| 2019 | 8.15% | −0.09% | #172 |
| 2018 | 8.24% | −0.09% | #172 |
| 2017 | 8.32% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2016 | 8.41% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2015 | 8.50% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2014 | 8.58% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2013 | 8.67% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2012 | 8.75% | −0.09% | #171 |
| 2011 | 8.84% | −0.09% | #167 |
| 2010 | 8.93% | −0.09% | #165 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Namibia matched the Stagflation Risk pattern in 2009. Historically, 38% of countries showing this pattern (117 out of 307) saw forest area improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Namibia's forest area was 7.63% in 2025. Ranked 171st globally. This represents a 2.2% decrease from the previous year.
Namibia's forest area peaked at 10.65% in 1990.
The lowest forest area in Namibia was 7.63% in 2025.
Namibia ranks 171st globally in forest area as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is AG.LND.FRST.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Namibia's forest area is projected to reach 7.63% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The forest area of Namibia in 2025 was 7.63%. This ranks 171st in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_namibia_forest-area,
title = {Namibia Forest Area},
url = {https://historysaid.com/namibia/forest-area/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}