You’ve likely noticed one or more trees when you’ve been outdoors. These trees vary in their forms, dimensions, and heights. A few may stretch sky-high, miles above our heads, while others are so petite that you can touch their limbs without having to stretch. Trees have been around since time immemorial, playing a vital role in the survival of all living beings. They absorb the carbon dioxide we emit to synthesize their nourishment and, in exchange, provide us with the oxygen we need to live.
There are over 3 Trillion trees1 on Earth. These trees provide us with oxygen, food, timber, paper, etc. The country with the highest number of trees in the world is Russia. Russia has an estimated 642 billion trees. This number of trees can be attributed to the large landmass of the country that provides more space for trees to grow. Other countries include Canada (318 billion trees), Brazil (302 billion trees), the United States (228 billion trees), and China (140 billion trees).
25. Iraq
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 822,000 hectares
Percentage of forested land; 1.9%
Location; Iraq is located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey, Iran, the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria.
24. Fiji
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 1.014 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 55.5
Location; Fiji is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It surrounds the Koro Sea north of Auckland, New Zealand, and has about 300 islands and 540 islets scattered over about 1,000,000 sq. miles (3,000,000 sq. km). Only ⅓ of the islands (100 islands) are inhabited by humans.
23. Algeria
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 1.49 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 0.6%
Location; Algeria is a large country located in the western part of North Africa. The country shares a border with the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
22. Uruguay
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 1.51 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 8.6%
Location; Uruguay is located in the southeastern region of South America. It shares borders with the Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil.
21. Solomon Islands
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 2.17 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 77.6%
Location; The Solomon Islands are located in the western South Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. The country is in the Melanesia subregion and bioregion of Oceania and forms the eastern boundary of the Solomon Sea.
20. Nigeria
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 9.04 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 9.9%
Location; Nigeria is located in the western part of Africa. it shares land borders with the Republic of Benin, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.
19. New Zealand
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 8.27 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 30.9%
Location; New Zealand is located on the Oceania continent and is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. The island nation consists of some smaller islands and two main islands, the North and the South Island separated by the Cook Strait.
18. Iran
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 11.07 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 6.8%
Location; Iran is located in the Middle East. It was formerly known as Persia and is situated at the crossroads of Central Asia, South Asia, and the Arab states of the Middle East.
17. Ethiopia
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 12.29 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 11.2%
Location; Ethiopia is located in Africa, specifically in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya, and Eritrea
16. Ecuador
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 12.5 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 50.5%
Location; Ecuador is located in the western corner at the top of the South American continent. It was named after the Equator and is bordered by Columbia and Peru.
15. Suriname
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 14.8 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 94.6%
Location; Suriname is located in Northern South America. It shares borders with the North Atlantic Ocean, French Guiana, Guyana, and Brazil.
Other countries with a large number of trees are
14. Chile
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 16.2 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 21.7%
Location; chile is located along the western seaboard of South America with the Pacific Ocean as one of its borders.
13. Paraguay
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 17.6 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 44.3%
Location; Paraguay is a country at the center of the South American continent. It is bordered by Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia.
12. Papua New Guinea
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 28.7 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 63.4%
Location; Papua new guinea is an island country that lies in the southwestern Pacific in Oceania.
11. Venezuela
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 46.3 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 52.5%
10. Bolivia
Estimated number of trees; 59 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 57.2 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 52.7%
Bolivia has the 10th highest number of trees. The country has an estimated 59 billion trees occupying over 57 million hectares of land. It accounts for 52.7 of the country’s land mass. Also located in South America, the Bolivia forests are home to a very biodiverse ecosystem due to the varying topography of different areas.
9. Colombia
Estimated number of trees; 64 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 60.1 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 55%
Columbia is the country with the 9th highest number of trees. The country has an estimated 64 billion trees occupying over 60 million hectares. It accounts for 55% of the country’s landmass. Located in South America, Columbia has the characteristic tropical weather which makes it conducive to tree-growing.
8. Australia
Estimated number of trees; 77 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 164 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 21.3%
Australia has the 8th highest number of trees in the world. The country has an estimated 77 billion trees occupying over 164 million hectares. It accounts for 21.3% of the country’s land mass. One of the most common trees is the eucalyptus tree (gum tree) which is native to Australia. These trees serve as food for herbivores like the koala bear, a native of Australia.
7. Indonesia
Estimated number of trees; 81 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 92 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 46%
Indonesia has the 7th highest number of trees in the world. The country has an estimated 81 billion trees covering about 92 million hectares of land. It accounts for about 46% of the country’s entire land mass. Indonesia usually has rainy tropical weather making it conducive to growing trees and forests.
6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
Estimated number of trees; 101 billion.
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 110 million hectares.
Percentage of forested land; 60%.
The democratic republic of Congo has the 6th highest number of trees in the world. The country has an estimated 101 billion trees occupying about 110 million hectares of land. It accounts for 60% of the country’s total land mass. Congo is also a rare forested country in Africa. The savannah and the forests are heavily protected and conserved in Congo.
5. China
Estimated number of trees; 140 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 207 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 23%
China has the 5th highest number of trees in the world. The country has an estimated 140 billion trees occupying 207 million hectares. It accounts for 23% of the country’s landmass. China has continued to plant more and more trees to counter the effects of deforestation due to modernization.
They have planted 66 billion trees so far and plan to increase their forest area to occupy 30% of the country’s landmass. China is home to the Chinese bamboo tree. It is the fastest-growing tree in the world growing 1.5 inches per hour.
4. United States of America
Estimated number of trees; 228 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 304 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 30%
The United States has the 4th highest number of trees in the world. The country has about 228 billion trees in the world covering over 304 million hectares. It accounts for 30% of the country’s land mass.
However, it is important to note that the majority of the trees in the United States are located in Alaska State. The country is also home to the oldest tree in the world, the 5000-year-old “Great Bristlecone Pine” located in California’s white mountains.
3. Brazil
Estimated number of trees; 302 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 478 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 59.4%
Brazil has the 3rd highest number of trees in the world. The country has an estimated 302 billion trees covering over 478 million hectares. It accounts for 59,4% of the total landmass of Brazil.
The tree population in Brazil is mainly due to the Amazon forest which is the biggest tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon forest is one of the most biodiverse locations with millions of species of trees, birds, mammals, etc all coexisting in one great ecosystem. However, deforestation is very rapid here putting the ecosystem at risk.
2. Canada
Estimated number of trees; 318 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 362 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 40%
Canada has the 2nd highest number of trees in the world. This Northern American country has an estimated 318 billion trees which occupy 362 million hectares of land. It accounts for 40% of the entire country’s land mass. Canada houses about 30% of the total forest area in the world.
The most common tree in Canada is the spruce tree, a fruitless tree with spiny leaves similar to the pine tree. Other trees include the sugar maple tree (from which the leaf of the Canadian flag comes) and the Eastern white cedar tree.
1. Russia
Estimated number of trees; 642 billion
Forested lands in hectares (ha); 885 million hectares
Percentage of forested land; 45%
Russia has the most trees in the world with an astonishing 642 billion trees2 which accounts for 21.4% of all trees in the world. The trees account for 45% of Russia’s land mass over an estimated 885 million hectares. Surprisingly, many of these trees are “illegal” according to the Russian government as landowners are mandated to keep them free of trees.
However, poor maintenance and minimal clearing from the landowners and nearby residents have allowed trees to take root and grow in many of these abandoned lands. Over the decades, the trees have been able to grow and contribute to the number of trees in Russia.
- Rachel Ehrenberg , (2015) Global forest survey finds trillions of trees. <https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2015.18287> Accessed: 28-02-2024
- Kevin Dennehy, (2015) F&ES Study Reveals There are Many More Trees Than Previously Believed. <https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/yale-study-reveals-there-are-3-trillion-trees-on-earth> Accessed: 28-02-2024
