Top 10 Countries with Largest Forest Area/Land in the World

Forests are defined as the patch of land covered with a wide range and varieties of trees, keeping up the balance of our ecosystem. In ancient and primitive times, vast stretches of land were covered with forests, but now as the human population is exceeding at a rapid rate, human activities have caused increased deforestation.

Therefore, now the current size of the forests present on the face of the earth has decreased significantly. There are fewer countries left with the biggest range of forests in the world. Environmental stability and suitability are the two major factors that help in maintaining the natural habitat for the forests to grow and sustain.


Out of some countries and islands, there are the top ten countries with the ten largest forest sizes in the world. Discussed below are the ten largest forests in the world.


India is ranked at the tenth position in the list of countries having the largest forest size. It is situated in the Southeastern region of Asia. For centuries, it remained the hub of many civilizations. This land receives plenty of rainfall annually more over the land is bestowed with highly fertile red soil.

Therefore, a country has vast stretches of land falling under thick tropical forests. These forests accounted for 23.68% of the total land area and are estimated to cover 778,424 kilometers.


Indonesia has the ninth-largest forest area in the world. It consists of hundreds of small islands in the great Pacific and Indian oceans. These islands have numerous rain-forest, the land of which combined to form 46.46% of the total area of Indonesia.

The climatic variation, suitable environment, and highly fertile soil are the elements responsible for this massive forest growth. According to the recent figures, the total forest area in Indonesia is measured up to 884,950 kilometers.


Forestry in Argentina is associated with major occupations in the country, as it has a vast area covered with forests hence ranked at eighth position in the list of countries with the largest forest size. In Argentina, forests are the source of many different types of wood for furniture and other uses.

The total forest area in the country is about 945336 kilometers which account for 34% of the total land of the state. For the last nine years, the government took many initiatives towards the process of Afforestation to preserve the natural heritage of this green land.

7. CONGO (D.R)

The great Congolian forests are the part of the forest belt which covers the Southeastern part of Cameroon, the eastern part of Gabon, and the northern or central of the Republic of Congo.

The total forest accounts for 52% of the total land area of Congo. In terms of exact figures, it covers 219326 kilometers of forest size. It is the second-largest rainforest in the world.


Australia is not just a country but its continent in itself. Therefore, the forest area in holds is bigger than any other country in its region. Its forests are not only the sixth-largest in the world, but they are most beautiful, lush green, and full of diversity.

Adelaide Hills forest range, situated in South Australia is one great example. The total area that falls under forests is about 19% of the total land area of the country, which is approximately measured up to 1470,832 kilometers.


China is the land of infinite beauty and diverse landforms, which not only consists of mountainous regions or plains but also vast regions of forests. Compared to its lands area, it has the smallest percentage of forest area in the country which is about 18.21% but still, the total area is measured up to 1821000 kilometers making it the fifth largest forest area in the world.


The United States of America has the fourth-largest forest area in the world covering the land of 3030890 kilometers. It was estimated that even before the times of European settlement the total area covered by these forests consisted of millions of acres which are now reduced to recent figures due to excessive urbanization and industrialization. The total forest area now only accounts for 30.84% of the total land of the entire US.


Canada had made it to the top three, as the forest area has accounted for the 31.06% of the total land of the country. As Canada itself has the second largest area in the world, therefore, the forest and size of its forests along is exactly the size of India.

The total area covered by these thick forests is about 3101340-kilometer squares. Here is a glimpse of the most beautiful and largest patch of forest in Quebec, Canada.


Brazilian Amazon Forest is famous for its larger size and diversity of its wildlife. The total area of the Brazilian forest is about 4776980-kilometer square, making it the second-largest in the world. This area accounts for 56.10% of the total area of the country, and it is even larger than the entire state of India. The wider part of the Amazon forest is the life-enriched rainforest. Amazon is the home of the rarest species of animals and plants in the world.


By land Russia is one of the largest territories in the world, so does the forest area it has. It has the most forest size and has dense and huge forests. Russian forests are famous for their largest stretches of land which covers approximately 45.40% of the country’s total area, making it the 1st largest forest in the entire world.

The total area is measured u to be 7762602-kilometer square. Scientists believed that this area was approximately equal to the entire size of the Australian continent.


RankCountryForested Area in Sq MeterForest Land Covered
4.United States3,030,89030.84%
7.Democratic Republic of Congo1,219,32652.00%