Latest update March 26th, 2026 7:55 AM
Global deforestation slows but forests still under pressure
—tropics lose ground as primary forests shrink
Rome/Bali – Deforestation has slowed in all of the world’s regions in the last decade, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 (FRA 2025) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Forests cover 4.14 billion hectares – about one-third of the planet’s land area
Released every five years, the 2025 edition of the report was published today during the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) Plenary in Bali, Indonesia. The latest data show that forests cover 4.14 billion hectares – about one-third of the planet’s land area, or roughly 0.5 hectares per person, with nearly half located in the tropics.
In addition to slowing deforestation rates, FRA 2025 highlights further positive news for the world’s forests, which includes more than half of forests now covered by long-term management plans, and one-fifth of forests now being within legally established protected areas. Since 1990, protected forests have expanded by 251 million hectares, reaching 813 million hectares globally.
However, the report notes that forest ecosystems worldwide continue to face challenges, with the current rate of deforestation at 10.9 million hectares per year still too high — though this marks a significant drop from 17.6 million hectares annually in 1990–2000. The annual rate of net forest loss has fallen sharply from 10.7 million hectares in the 1990s to 4.12 million hectares in 2015–2025, reflecting gradual progress toward sustainability.
FAO’s data show that naturally regenerating forests, which make up 92 percent of all forests, now total 3.83 billion hectares, though they declined by 324 million hectares since 1990. Africa and South America recorded the steepest declines, while Europe saw a modest increase. Primary forests, covering 1.18 billion hectares, continue to shrink, but the rate of loss has halved compared with the early 2000s.
Planted forests, meanwhile, account for 8 percent of the world’s total, or 312 million hectares, and have expanded in every region since 1990, though at a slower pace recently. The global forest growing stock is estimated at 630 billion cubic metres, with forest carbon stocks now reaching 714 gigatonnes — a sign that forests continue to play a vital role in carbon storage.
In terms of management, 55 percent of forests (2.13 billion hectares) are now under approved management plans, up 365 million hectares since 1990, while 71 percent remain publicly owned and 24 percent privately owned. FRA 2025 also tracks increasing disturbances: fires affect an average of 261 million hectares annually, nearly half of which are forested, while insects, diseases, and extreme weather damaged about 41 million hectares in 2020, especially in temperate and boreal regions.
The report highlights that 1.20 billion hectares are managed primarily for production, 616 million hectares for multiple uses, and hundreds of millions more for biodiversity conservation, soil and water protection, and social services — underscoring the multiple, sometimes competing, roles forests play.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, writing in the Foreword to FRA 2025, emphasized that these findings are essential for informed global policy: “FRAs are the most comprehensive and transparent global evaluations of forest resources and their condition, management and uses… supporting decisions, policies and investments related to forests and the ecosystem services they provide.” While progress is evident, the report warns that continued deforestation and degradation — especially in tropical regions remain major threats to biodiversity, climate stability, and livelihoods. The message is clear: the world is moving in the right direction, but not fast enough.
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