CLIMATE
Gabon is over 90% forest
91% of Gabon's land is covered in forest, most of it Congo Basin rainforest. Here's how forest cover compares around the world.
The short answer
Gabon has the highest forest cover of any economy with more than one million people: 91.2% of its land area in 2023. Equatorial Guinea (86.4%) and Papua New Guinea (79.0%) follow. The world average is 31.1%.
The full top 10
| Rank | Country / economy | Forest area (% of land) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabon | 91% |
| 2 | Equatorial Guinea | 86% |
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | 79% |
| 4 | Liberia | 78% |
| 5 | Finland | 74% |
| 6 | Laos | 71% |
| 7 | Guinea-Bissau | 70% |
| 8 | Sweden | 69% |
| 9 | Japan | 68% |
| 10 | Congo, Rep. | 64% |
What the number means
Forest area measures land under natural or planted stands of trees, whether or not it's harvested for timber. It doesn't measure forest health or biodiversity by itself.
Where the most forest is
Seven of the top ten are tropical countries in the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. Finland (73.7%) and Sweden are the most forested countries outside the tropics, thanks to boreal forest covering most of their land.
South Korea's comeback
South Korea ranks 11th at 64.1% forest cover, one of relatively few countries to substantially increase forest cover since the mid-20th century — through large-scale reforestation after extensive deforestation during and after the Korean War.
How we made this
Data: World Bank, World Development Indicators (indicator AG.LND.FRST.ZS), 2023. We compare economies with at least one million people.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have almost no forest?
Qatar (0%), Oman (0.01%) and Egypt (0.05%) have the least forest cover, reflecting mostly desert terrain rather than deforestation.
Is Brazil on this list?
Brazil has vast forest area in absolute terms but a lower forest share (about 59%) since much of its land is non-forest — it isn't in the top 10 by percentage.