Sunday, 26 Oct, 2025
Remarkably, more than half of the world’s forests (54 percent) are concentrated in just five countries, namely, the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and China, listed in descending order by area. Image Source: FAO
The world’s forests cover an estimated 4.14 billion hectares, representing about 32 percent of the planet’s total land area, or roughly 0.50 hectares of forest per person.
India has reached a major milestone in global environmental conservation, climbing to the 9th position worldwide in total forest area, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) during a session in Bali. This marks a notable improvement from the previous assessment, where India held the 10th rank, underscoring the country’s consistent efforts toward expanding its green cover.
In addition to this achievement, India has retained its 3rd position globally in terms of annual forest area gain, highlighting the success of its large-scale afforestation and reforestation initiatives. The steady increase in forest area reflects India’s ongoing commitment to sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.
The Environment Minister emphasized that these results reaffirm India’s dedication to balancing economic growth with ecological sustainability, in line with its national and international commitments under frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through continuous community participation, innovative forest management practices, and conservation-driven policies, India continues to strengthen its position as a global leader in environmental stewardship.
The world’s forests cover an estimated 4.14 billion hectares, representing about 32 percent of the planet’s total land area, or roughly 0.50 hectares of forest per person. Among the global forest types, the tropical forests account for the largest share, comprising 45 percent of the total forest area, followed by the boreal, temperate, and subtropical regions. Regionally, Europe possesses the largest forest area, making up around one-fourth (25 percent) of the global total, while South America stands out for having the highest proportion of forest cover, with forests occupying about 49 percent of its total land area. Remarkably, more than half of the world’s forests (54 percent) are concentrated in just five countries, namely, the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and China, listed in descending order by area.
Top ten countries for forest area, 2025
Source: Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025
Between 1990 and 2000, forest cover in North and Central America declined by about 336,000 hectares per year. This trend reversed between 2000 and 2015, when the region experienced an average annual increase of 714,000 hectares, but once again turned negative in 2015–2025, with forests shrinking by around 260,000 hectares per year. In the United States, there was a net gain of 430,000 hectares annually from 2000 to 2015, followed by a net loss of 120,000 hectares per year in the most recent decade. Canada also recorded a slowdown in forest expansion, with its annual net increase falling from 513,000 hectares (2000–2015) to just 82,500 hectares (2015–2025).
The Caribbean region showed a more consistent but modest growth pattern, with forest area expanding by 55,500 hectares per year in 1990–2000, 64,200 hectares per year in 2000–2015, and 14,200 hectares per year in 2015–2025.
Among all regions, Asia registered the largest net annual forest gain during 2015–2025, adding around 1.62 million hectares each year. However, this was a decline from the 2.40 million hectares per year recorded between 2000 and 2015. Within Asia, only South and Southeast Asia saw a net forest loss in the latest decade, though the rate of loss was merely one-tenth of what it had been in 1990–2000. This turnaround was largely due to Indonesia, which had suffered an annual net loss of 2.44 million hectares in 1990–2000, but achieved a net gain of 94,100 hectares per year in 2015–2025. In Western and Central Asia, forest expansion accelerated, with the average annual net gain nearly doubling from 92,500 hectares (1990–2000) to 181,000 hectares (2015–2025), reflecting sustained regional efforts toward reforestation and land restoration.
Over the past two decades, the Government of India has introduced a series of comprehensive policies and programmes aimed at expanding forest and tree cover, maintaining ecological balance, and enhancing livelihood opportunities for local communities. The National Afforestation Programme (NAP), launched in 2000, remains one of the flagship initiatives for restoring degraded forest areas through community participation, particularly involving Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs).
Supporting this effort, the Green India Mission (GIM), initiated in 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), aims to increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and improve the quality of another 5 million hectares of existing forests. The mission emphasizes ecological restoration, biodiversity protection, and strengthening the livelihoods of forest-dependent populations. Further reinforcing these actions, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), set up under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016, ensures that funds generated from the diversion of forest land are utilized efficiently for afforestation, regeneration, and wildlife habitat improvement.
Alongside these national initiatives, India has actively advanced agroforestry and mass plantation programmes to boost tree cover beyond traditional forests. The National Agroforestry Policy (2014), a global first, promotes tree-based farming through the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), encouraging farmers to integrate trees with crops and livestock systems. Regular tree plantation drives, including Van Mahotsav (celebrated annually since 1950), and large-scale afforestation activities under MGNREGA and various state-level campaigns, have further strengthened India’s green initiatives.
Additionally, under the Bonn Challenge, India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. These programmes are complemented by the use of advanced remote sensing and GIS technologies through the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) for effective forest mapping and management. Collectively, these sustained and technology-driven measures underscore India’s determination to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of generating an additional 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent carbon sink by 2030, reinforcing its leadership in sustainable forest management and climate action.
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