India rises to 9th spot in forest cover ranking, third in net-gain: UN report

India has moved up a spot in the forest cover ranking and maintained its third position in annual net gain in forest patches, according to a new United Nations report. The country is now the ninth largest in terms of forest area, as compared to last year’s 10th position, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in its report.

The 2025 edition of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) report, published every five years, found that while global deforestation has slowed across all regions over the past decade, forest ecosystems remain under severe pressure. The current deforestation rate, 10.9 million hectares annually, remains alarmingly high, the report said.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reacted to the feat and said, “The achievement comes on the back of Modi government’s planning and policies for protection and enhancement of the forest and massive plantation efforts by state governments.”

More from India

Why are Indians ineligible for the US green card lottery for next 3 years? No, India has not ‘capitulated’ to Trump’s pressure on Russian oil, and neither have we suffered loss of autonomy

Forests cover 4.14 billion hectares of land globally, accounting for nearly one-third (32 per cent) of the global land area. This means that per person in this world coexists with 0.5 hectares of forest land.

Tadav credited India’s achievement to Prime Minister Modi’s call to plant trees under ‘Ek Ped Ma ke Naam’ campaign and “push for environmental consciousness”. He said, “This will ensure a greener tomorrow for generations to come.”

According to official national data compiled by the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA), India’s forest cover is estimated at 72.7 million hectares in 2025, representing about 2 per cent of the world’s total forest area. In comparison, the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 reports the country’s forest cover at 71.5 million hectares.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'A matter of survival’: In Colombo, incoming CJI urges India, Sri Lanka to be ‘guardians’ of Indian Ocean

Bhairav Battalions: Inside India’s ‘lean and mean’ elite Army units that can launch surprise attacks on the enemy

Meanwhile, Russia has the largest forest cover (832.6 million hectares) followed by Brazil (486 million hectares), Canada (368.8 million hectares), the USA (308.8 million hectares), China (227 million hectares), Congo (139 million hectares), Australia (133.5 million hectares), Indonesia (96 million hectares), India (72.7 million hectares) and Peru (67 million hectares).