The Countries That Gained the Most Forest (2015-2025)

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Forests absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, acting as the world’s lungs.

At the same time, forests contain distinct weather systems and water flows, impacting land areas thousands of miles away. While millions of hectares (ha) have been lost across the Amazon over the past several decades, several countries are actively pursuing reforestation efforts.

This graphic shows the top countries by growth in forest area since 2015, based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Forest Area Growth by Country (2015-2025)

Below, we show how China has gained the most net forest area in the world over the last decade:

Ranking	Country	Net gain 2015-2025 (ha)	Average annual net change (%)
1	China	1,686,000	0.8
2	Russia	942,000	0.1
3	India	191,000	0.3
4	Türkiye	118,000	0.5
5	Australia	105,000	0.1
6	France	95,900	0.6
7	Indonesia	94,100	0.1
8	South Africa	87,600	0.4
9	Canada	82,500	0.0
10	Vietnam	72,800	0.5

Since the 1970s, China has planted thousands, if not millions, of trees under its “Great Green Wall” initiative.

This initiative is designed to prevent sand in the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts from encroaching into cities. Aimed to be completed by 2050, the project has had mixed results, including low tree survival rates in some cases. Yet in spite of this, 1.7 million net ha of forests have been planted in the country since 2015.

Russia ranks in second globally, with 942,000 ha gained over the decade. Supporting this trend are national policies aimed at accelerating forest area growth beginning in 2018.

Similarly, India has enacted ambitious national policy goals for reforestation. By 2030, it plans to restore 26 million ha of forest as part of its climate goals. Since 2015, it has seen a net gain of 191,000 hectares of forest, the third-highest globally.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries with the largest forests.