Countries in South America by forest area
The share of the land under forest: natural or planted stands of trees at least five metres tall, whether productive or not. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2023
Median country
51%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of land | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Suriname | 94% | South America |
| 2 |  Guyana | 87% | South America |
| 3 |  Brazil | 59% | South America |
| 4 |  Peru | 56% | South America |
| 5 |  Colombia | 53% | South America |
| 6 |  Venezuela | 52% | South America |
| 7 |  Ecuador | 50% | South America |
| 8 |  Bolivia | 46% | South America |
| 9 |  Paraguay | 39% | South America |
| 10 |  Chile | 25% | South America |
| 11 |  Uruguay | 12% | South America |
| 12 |  Argentina | 10% | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the most forest?
- Suriname has the most forest in South America: 94% forest (2023). Next come Guyana (87% forest) and Brazil (59% forest).
- Which country in South America has the least forest?
- Argentina, with 10% forest (2023).
- What is the typical forest area of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is 51% forest: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- The share of the land under forest: natural or planted stands of trees at least five metres tall, whether productive or not. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.