Most forested countries
Suriname is over 95% forest — most of it is undisturbed Amazon rainforest.
Headline finding
Suriname leads the world for most forested countries at 97.4% % of land area.
The full top 25: Most forested countries
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Suriname 97.4%
- 2 Guyana 93.6%
- 3 Gabon 90.0%
- 4 Palau 89.4%
- 5 Micronesia 89.2%
- 6 Solomon Islands 77.9%
- 7 Finland 73.7%
- 8 Laos 71.6%
- 9 Japan 68.4%
- 10 South Korea 64.5%
- 11 Sweden 68.7%
- 12 Bhutan 72.5%
- 13 Central African Rep. 35.6%
- 14 Brazil 58.5%
- 15 Peru 56.5%
- 16 Colombia 53.3%
- 17 Venezuela 52.7%
- 18 Russia 49.8%
- 19 DR Congo 55.6%
- 20 Malaysia 58.2%
- 21 Cambodia 45.7%
- 22 Congo (Brazzaville) 65.4%
- 23 Estonia 56.1%
- 24 Latvia 54.0%
- 25 Slovenia 61.5%
What the numbers show
Suriname's lead at the top of this ranking is 4.1% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Suriname, Guyana, Gabon, Palau, Micronesia — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Slovenia anchoring the list at 61.5%.
Figures are drawn from FAO Global Forest Resources 2020. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- % of land area
- Source
- FAO Global Forest Resources 2020
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for forested countries?
Suriname leads with 97.4% % of land area. Guyana is second at 93.6%, with Gabon in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the forested countries ranking?
The figures come from FAO Global Forest Resources 2020. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the forested countries figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.