Most Forested Countries in the World
Small tropical nations often have the highest percentage of forest coverage. Suriname, Gabon, and Micronesia each have over 90% of their land area covered by forest, making them some of the greenest places on Earth.
Brazil has the largest total forest area in the world but does not rank at the top by percentage. The Amazon rainforest covers about 60% of Brazil's territory, yet large swathes of the country are savanna, wetland, and agricultural land.
Forest coverage is critical for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. This ranking is based on the percentage of total land area covered by forest, sourced from the World Bank and the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment.
Quick Facts
- Suriname has over 90% forest coverage — the highest in the world.
- Brazil has the largest total forest area but not the highest percentage.
- Deforestation rates have slowed in many regions but remain a concern.
- Forests cover roughly 31% of the world's total land area.
| Rank | Country | Forest Cover (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇸🇷Suriname | 94.4% |
| 2 | 🇫🇲Micronesia | 92.2% |
| 3 | 🇬🇦Gabon | 91.2% |
| 4 | 🇵🇼Palau | 90.5% |
| 5 | 🇸🇧Solomon Islands | 90.1% |
| 6 | 🇬🇾Guyana | 87.1% |
| 7 | 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea | 86.4% |
| 8 | 🇦🇸American Samoa | 85.2% |
| 9 | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea | 79.0% |
| 10 | 🇱🇷Liberia | 78.1% |
| 11 | 🇫🇮Finland | 73.7% |
| 12 | 🇸🇨Seychelles | 73.3% |
| 13 | 🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 73.2% |
| 14 | 🇧🇳Brunei | 72.1% |
| 15 | 🇧🇹Bhutan | 71.6% |
| 16 | 🇱🇦Laos | 71.5% |
| 17 | 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau | 69.5% |
| 18 | 🇸🇪Sweden | 68.7% |
| 19 | 🇯🇵Japan | 68.4% |
| 20 | 🇨🇬Republic of the Congo | 64.1% |
| 21 | 🇰🇷South Korea | 64.1% |
| 22 | 🇩🇲Dominica | 63.8% |
| 23 | 🇫🇯Fiji | 63.5% |
| 24 | 🇹🇱Timor-Leste | 61.7% |
| 25 | 🇲🇪Montenegro | 61.5% |
| 26 | 🇸🇮Slovenia | 61.2% |
| 27 | 🇨🇷Costa Rica | 60.4% |
| 28 | 🇿🇲Zambia | 59.5% |
| 29 | 🇧🇷Brazil | 59.0% |
| 30 | 🇻🇮United States Virgin Islands | 58.2% |
| 31 | 🇲🇾Malaysia | 57.7% |
| 32 | 🇼🇸Samoa | 57.6% |
| 33 | 🇪🇪Estonia | 57.1% |
| 34 | 🇵🇦Panama | 56.3% |
| 35 | 🇭🇳Honduras | 56.3% |
| 36 | 🇯🇲Jamaica | 56.2% |
| 37 | 🇵🇷Puerto Rico | 56.1% |
| 38 | 🇵🇪Peru | 56.1% |
| 39 | 🇱🇻Latvia | 55.0% |
| 40 | 🇧🇿Belize | 54.5% |
| 41 | 🇨🇩DR Congo | 54.2% |
| 42 | 🇲🇵Northern Mariana Islands | 53.0% |
| 43 | 🇨🇴Colombia | 52.8% |
| 44 | 🇰🇾Cayman Islands | 52.5% |
| 45 | 🇻🇪Venezuela | 52.2% |
| 46 | 🇲🇭Marshall Islands | 52.2% |
| 47 | 🇸🇹São Tomé and Príncipe | 52.1% |
| 48 | 🇦🇴Angola | 52.1% |
| 49 | 🇬🇩Grenada | 52.1% |
| 50 | 🇬🇺Guam | 51.9% |
Test Your Knowledge
Can you guess which countries have the most forest? Try these geography games.