World Bank Data · 207 countries
Countries With Most Forest Coverage
Forests cover roughly 31% of the world's land surface and play a critical role in carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water cycling, and indigenous livelihoods. Suriname, Gabon, and the Solomon Islands have the highest forest coverage as a percentage of land area, often exceeding 90%. These countries contain some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. The Amazon rainforest, spanning Brazil and neighboring countries, is the world's largest tropical forest and is often called the "lungs of the Earth" for its carbon absorption capacity. Deforestation — driven by agriculture, logging, mining, and urbanization — destroys roughly 10 million hectares of forest annually, contributing significantly to climate change and species extinction.
Key Findings
- 1Suriname leads with a forest area percentage of 94.4%, followed by Micronesia, Fed. Sts. (92.2%) and Gabon (91.2%).
- 2The gap between #1 Suriname and #207 Greenland (0.0%) is 9444.7 percentage points.
- 3The national median across all states is 32.4% (Serbia at the midpoint).
- 4The top 10 states are: Suriname, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Gabon, Palau, Solomon Islands, Guyana, Equatorial Guinea, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Liberia.
Full Ranking: Countries With Most Forest Coverage
Source: Census ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates
| # | Country | Forest % | Population | CO2 (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 44.7 | 16,340,822 | — |
| 2 | Zambia | 59.5 | 20,723,965 | — |
| 3 | Yemen, Rep. | 1 | 39,390,799 | — |
| 4 | Virgin Islands (U.S.) | 58.2 | 104,917 | — |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 47.4 | 100,352,192 | — |
| 6 | Venezuela, RB | 52.2 | 28,300,854 | — |
| 7 | Vanuatu | 36.3 | 320,409 | — |
| 8 | Uzbekistan | 8.5 | 35,652,307 | — |
| 9 | Uruguay | 12 | 3,388,081 | — |
| 10 | United States | 33.9 | 336,806,231 | — |
| 11 | United Kingdom | 13.3 | 68,492,000 | — |
| 12 | United Arab Emirates | 4.5 | 10,483,751 | — |
| 13 | Ukraine | 16.8 | 37,732,836 | — |
| 14 | Uganda | 11 | 48,656,601 | — |
| 15 | Tuvalu | 33.3 | 9,816 | — |
| 16 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 11.1 | 46,198 | — |
| 17 | Turkmenistan | 8.8 | 7,364,438 | — |
| 18 | Turkiye | 29.5 | 85,325,965 | — |
| 19 | Tunisia | 4.6 | 12,200,431 | — |
| 20 | Trinidad and Tobago | 44.2 | 1,367,510 | — |
| 21 | Tonga | 12.4 | 104,597 | — |
| 22 | Togo | 22.1 | 9,304,337 | — |
| 23 | Timor-Leste | 61.7 | 1,384,286 | — |
| 24 | Thailand | 38.7 | 71,702,435 | — |
| 25 | Tanzania | 50.1 | 66,617,606 | — |
| 26 | Tajikistan | 3.1 | 10,389,799 | — |
| 27 | Syrian Arab Republic | 2.8 | 23,594,623 | — |
| 28 | Switzerland | 32.4 | 8,888,822 | — |
| 29 | Sweden | 68.7 | 10,536,632 | — |
| 30 | Suriname | 94.4 | 628,886 | — |
| 31 | Sudan | 9.6 | 50,042,791 | — |
| 32 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 73.2 | 101,323 | — |
| 33 | St. Martin (French part) | 24.8 | 27,515 | — |
| 34 | St. Lucia | 34 | 179,285 | — |
| 35 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 42.3 | 46,758 | — |
| 36 | Sri Lanka | 34 | 22,037,000 | — |
| 37 | Spain | 37.2 | 48,352,528 | — |
| 38 | South Sudan | 11.3 | 11,483,374 | — |
| 39 | South Africa | 14 | 63,212,384 | — |
| 40 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 9.2 | 18,358,615 | — |
| 41 | Solomon Islands | 90.1 | 800,005 | — |
| 42 | Slovenia | 61.2 | 2,120,461 | — |
| 43 | Slovak Republic | 40.1 | 5,426,740 | — |
| 44 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 10.9 | 42,749 | — |
| 45 | Singapore | 20.9 | 5,917,648 | — |
| 46 | Sierra Leone | 34.3 | 8,460,512 | — |
| 47 | Seychelles | 73.3 | 119,773 | — |
| 48 | Serbia | 32.4 | 6,623,183 | — |
| 49 | Senegal | 41.3 | 18,077,573 | — |
| 50 | Saudi Arabia | 0.5 | 33,702,731 | — |
| 51 | Sao Tome and Principe | 52.1 | 230,871 | — |
| 52 | San Marino | 16.7 | 33,860 | — |
| 53 | Samoa | 57.6 | 216,663 | — |
| 54 | Rwanda | 11.3 | 13,954,471 | — |
| 55 | Russian Federation | 49.8 | 143,826,130 | — |
| 56 | Romania | 30.1 | 19,061,062 | — |
| 57 | Puerto Rico (US) | 56.1 | 3,203,792 | — |
| 58 | Portugal | 36.2 | 10,578,174 | — |
| 59 | Poland | 31.1 | 36,687,353 | — |
| 60 | Philippines | 24.5 | 114,891,199 | — |
| 61 | Peru | 56.1 | 33,845,617 | — |
| 62 | Paraguay | 38.5 | 6,844,146 | — |
| 63 | Papua New Guinea | 79 | 10,389,635 | — |
| 64 | Panama | 56.3 | 4,458,759 | — |
| 65 | Palau | 90.5 | 17,727 | — |
| 66 | Pakistan | 4.7 | 247,504,495 | — |
| 67 | Oman | 0 | 5,049,269 | — |
| 68 | Norway | 33.5 | 5,519,601 | — |
| 69 | Northern Mariana Islands | 53 | 45,143 | — |
| 70 | North Macedonia | 39.7 | 1,827,816 | — |
| 71 | Nigeria | 23.2 | 227,882,945 | — |
| 72 | Niger | 0.8 | 26,159,867 | — |
| 73 | Nicaragua | 25.8 | 6,823,613 | — |
| 74 | New Zealand | 37.8 | 5,200,000 | — |
| 75 | New Caledonia | 45.8 | 289,870 | — |
| 76 | Netherlands | 11.1 | 17,877,117 | — |
| 77 | Nepal | 41.6 | 29,694,614 | — |
| 78 | Namibia | 7.8 | 2,963,095 | — |
| 79 | Myanmar | 42.4 | 54,133,798 | — |
| 80 | Mozambique | 45.8 | 33,635,160 | — |
| 81 | Morocco | 12.9 | 37,712,505 | — |
| 82 | Montenegro | 61.5 | 623,529 | — |
| 83 | Mongolia | 9.1 | 3,481,145 | — |
| 84 | Moldova | 11.7 | 2,457,783 | — |
| 85 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 92.2 | 112,630 | — |
| 86 | Mexico | 33.6 | 129,739,759 | — |
| 87 | Mauritius | 19.5 | 1,248,647 | — |
| 88 | Mauritania | 0.3 | 5,022,441 | — |
| 89 | Marshall Islands | 52.2 | 38,827 | — |
| 90 | Malta | 1.4 | 552,747 | — |
| 91 | Mali | 10.9 | 23,769,127 | — |
| 92 | Maldives | 2.8 | 525,994 | — |
| 93 | Malaysia | 57.7 | 35,126,298 | — |
| 94 | Malawi | 22.4 | 21,104,482 | — |
| 95 | Madagascar | 21.3 | 31,195,932 | — |
| 96 | Luxembourg | 34.5 | 666,430 | — |
| 97 | Lithuania | 35.2 | 2,871,585 | — |
| 98 | Liechtenstein | 41.9 | 39,846 | — |
| 99 | Libya | 0.1 | 7,305,659 | — |
| 100 | Liberia | 78.1 | 5,493,031 | — |
| 101 | Lesotho | 1.1 | 2,311,472 | — |
| 102 | Lebanon | 14.2 | 5,773,493 | — |
| 103 | Latvia | 55 | 1,883,710 | — |
| 104 | Lao PDR | 71.5 | 7,664,993 | — |
| 105 | Kyrgyz Republic | 7.1 | 7,099,750 | — |
| 106 | Kuwait | 0.4 | 4,853,420 | — |
| 107 | Korea, Rep. | 64.1 | 51,712,619 | — |
| 108 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 49.6 | 26,418,204 | — |
| 109 | Kiribati | 1.5 | 132,530 | — |
| 110 | Kenya | 6.2 | 55,339,003 | — |
| 111 | Kazakhstan | 1.3 | 20,330,104 | — |
| 112 | Jordan | 1.1 | 11,439,213 | — |
| 113 | Japan | 68.4 | 124,516,650 | — |
| 114 | Jamaica | 56.2 | 2,839,786 | — |
| 115 | Italy | 32.9 | 58,984,216 | — |
| 116 | Isle of Man | 6.1 | 84,165 | — |
| 117 | Ireland | 11.5 | 5,311,538 | — |
| 118 | Iraq | 1.9 | 45,074,049 | — |
| 119 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 6.6 | 90,608,707 | — |
| 120 | Indonesia | 47.7 | 281,190,067 | — |
| 121 | India | 24.5 | 1,438,069,596 | — |
| 122 | Iceland | 0.5 | 385,663 | — |
| 123 | Hungary | 22.4 | 9,592,186 | — |
| 124 | Honduras | 56.3 | 10,644,851 | — |
| 125 | Haiti | 12.3 | 11,637,398 | — |
| 126 | Guyana | 87.1 | 826,353 | — |
| 127 | Guinea-Bissau | 69.5 | 2,153,339 | — |
| 128 | Guinea | 24.7 | 14,405,468 | — |
| 129 | Guatemala | 32.6 | 18,124,838 | — |
| 130 | Guam | 51.9 | 166,506 | — |
| 131 | Grenada | 52.1 | 117,081 | — |
| 132 | Greenland | 0 | 56,865 | — |
| 133 | Greece | 30.3 | 10,407,351 | — |
| 134 | Ghana | 35.2 | 33,787,914 | — |
| 135 | Germany | 32.7 | 83,287,273 | — |
| 136 | Georgia | 40.6 | 3,715,483 | — |
| 137 | Gambia, The | 22.3 | 2,697,845 | — |
| 138 | Gabon | 91.2 | 2,484,789 | — |
| 139 | French Polynesia | 43.1 | 281,118 | — |
| 140 | France | 32.5 | 68,372,286 | — |
| 141 | Finland | 73.7 | 5,583,911 | — |
| 142 | Fiji | 63.5 | 924,145 | — |
| 143 | Faroe Islands | 0.1 | 54,414 | — |
| 144 | Ethiopia | 14.9 | 128,691,692 | — |
| 145 | Eswatini | 29.1 | 1,230,506 | — |
| 146 | Estonia | 57.1 | 1,370,286 | — |
| 147 | Eritrea | 8.6 | 3,470,390 | — |
| 148 | Equatorial Guinea | 86.4 | 1,847,549 | — |
| 149 | El Salvador | 27.5 | 6,309,624 | — |
| 150 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 0 | 114,535,772 | — |
| 151 | Ecuador | 49.5 | 17,980,083 | — |
| 152 | Dominican Republic | 45 | 11,331,265 | — |
| 153 | Dominica | 63.8 | 66,510 | — |
| 154 | Djibouti | 0.3 | 1,152,944 | — |
| 155 | Denmark | 15.8 | 5,946,952 | — |
| 156 | Czechia | 34.8 | 10,864,042 | — |
| 157 | Cyprus | 18.7 | 1,344,976 | — |
| 158 | Curacao | 0.2 | 154,654 | — |
| 159 | Cuba | 31.2 | 11,019,931 | — |
| 160 | Croatia | 34.8 | 3,859,686 | — |
| 161 | Cote d'Ivoire | 7.9 | 31,165,654 | — |
| 162 | Costa Rica | 60.4 | 5,105,525 | — |
| 163 | Congo, Rep. | 64.1 | 6,182,885 | — |
| 164 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 54.2 | 105,789,731 | — |
| 165 | Comoros | 17 | 850,387 | — |
| 166 | Colombia | 52.8 | 52,321,152 | — |
| 167 | China | 24 | 1,410,710,000 | — |
| 168 | Chile | 25 | 19,658,835 | — |
| 169 | Chad | 3.2 | 19,319,064 | — |
| 170 | Central African Republic | 35.7 | 5,152,421 | — |
| 171 | Cayman Islands | 52.5 | 73,038 | — |
| 172 | Canada | 39.5 | 40,083,484 | — |
| 173 | Cameroon | 42.7 | 28,372,687 | — |
| 174 | Cambodia | 43.1 | 17,423,880 | — |
| 175 | Cabo Verde | 11.6 | 522,331 | — |
| 176 | Burundi | 10.9 | 13,689,450 | — |
| 177 | Burkina Faso | 22.2 | 23,025,776 | — |
| 178 | Bulgaria | 36.2 | 6,446,596 | — |
| 179 | Brunei Darussalam | 72.1 | 458,949 | — |
| 180 | British Virgin Islands | 24.1 | 38,985 | — |
| 181 | Brazil | 59 | 211,140,729 | — |
| 182 | Botswana | 26.3 | 2,480,244 | — |
| 183 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 42.7 | 3,185,073 | — |
| 184 | Bolivia | 46.3 | 12,244,159 | — |
| 185 | Bhutan | 71.6 | 786,385 | — |
| 186 | Bermuda | 18.5 | 64,698 | — |
| 187 | Benin | 26.5 | 14,111,034 | — |
| 188 | Belize | 54.5 | 411,106 | — |
| 189 | Belgium | 22.6 | 11,779,946 | — |
| 190 | Belarus | 43.4 | 9,178,298 | — |
| 191 | Barbados | 14.7 | 282,336 | — |
| 192 | Bangladesh | 14.5 | 171,466,990 | — |
| 193 | Bahrain | 1 | 1,577,059 | — |
| 194 | Bahamas, The | 50.9 | 399,440 | — |
| 195 | Azerbaijan | 14.1 | 10,153,958 | — |
| 196 | Austria | 47.2 | 9,131,761 | — |
| 197 | Australia | 17.4 | 26,659,922 | — |
| 198 | Aruba | 2.3 | 107,359 | — |
| 199 | Armenia | 11.6 | 2,964,300 | — |
| 200 | Argentina | 10.3 | 45,538,401 | — |
| 201 | Antigua and Barbuda | 18 | 93,316 | — |
| 202 | Angola | 52.1 | 36,749,906 | — |
| 203 | Andorra | 34 | 80,856 | — |
| 204 | American Samoa | 85.2 | 47,521 | — |
| 205 | Algeria | 0.8 | 46,164,219 | — |
| 206 | Albania | 28.8 | 2,414,095 | — |
| 207 | Afghanistan | 1.9 | 41,454,761 | — |
Methodology
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Suriname has the highest forest area percentage at 94.4%, according to Census ACS 2023 data. Micronesia, Fed. Sts. and Gabon round out the top three.
Greenland has the lowest forest area percentage at 0.0%. Oman is second-lowest at 0.0%.
The median across all 207 states is 32.4%. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently — the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.
Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS data (currently 2023 5-Year estimates). The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually, typically in September. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.