Deforestation remains a major environmental issue, at the intersection of climate, energy, and food challenges. In Africa, it takes on a particular dimension due to the heavy reliance of populations on forest resources for agriculture, fuelwood, and rural livelihoods. Despite growing awareness and international commitments, pressure on forests persists, driven by population growth and urbanization.

Global Forest Watch (GFW) has released its 2025 assessment of worldwide deforestation. While last year marked an improvement over the record losses recorded in 2024, the destruction of primary forests remains at critical levels, and Africa continues to be one of the regions hardest hit.

The findings reinforce a broader trend that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been tracking since the early 2000s. Africa, which was the third most forested continent in the world after the Americas and Europe at the start of the century, has been overtaken in the past decade by Asia. The rise in deforestation on the continent has been driven primarily by agricultural expansion, illegal logging, the use of wood for cooking fuel, and charcoal production.

Ranking of African countries with the largest forest areas

According to the FAO, Africa had a total forest area of 624.6 million hectares in 2023, representing 15% of the global total of 4 billion hectares. The Democratic Republic of Congo leads the continent with 122.8 million hectares — roughly 20% of Africa's total — though that figure is more than 20 million hectares below its 2000 level. It is followed by Angola, with 64.9 million hectares, and Tanzania, with 44.3 million hectares.

In West Africa, Nigeria holds the largest forest area, at 21.1 million hectares, while Morocco leads North Africa with 5.7 million hectares. The FAO identifies Djibouti as having the smallest forest area on the continent at 6,000 hectares. Gabon, meanwhile, has the highest proportion of its territory covered by forest, with more than 87% of its land area forested.