According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025, forests cover more than 4.1 billion hectares, or roughly 32% of the world’s land area. The following list shows the top 10 countries with the largest forest areas. Let’s read.
Top 10 Most Forested Countries in the World by Forest Area
| Rank | Country | Forest area (million ha) | Forest area percentage of world forest area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian Federation | 832.63 | ~20% |
| 2 | Brazil | 486.09 | ~12% |
| 3 | Canada | 368.82 | ~9% |
| 4 | United States of America | 308.9 | ~7% |
| 5 | China | 227.15 | ~5% |
| 6 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 139.19 | ~3% |
| 7 | Australia | 133.56 | ~3% |
| 8 | Indonesia | 95.97 | ~2% |
| 9 | India | 72.74 | ~2% |
| 10 | Peru | 67.16 | ~2% |
Source: FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 (CC BY 4.0)
Which country has the largest forest area in the world?
Russia has the largest forest area in the world, with approximately 832.63 million hectares of forest, followed by Brazil and Canada. Russia accounts for around 20% of the world’s total forest area.
(Also read: Forest Cover By Continent (Area, Percentage, Top countries))
Forest Area vs Forest Cover
Total forest area refers to the actual area of land covered by forests in a country, while forest cover refers to the percentage of a country’s land area that is covered by forests.
Which country has the highest percentage of forest cover?
Suriname has the highest percentage of forest cover among sovereign countries. According to the FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025, forests cover about 94% of Suriname’s land area.