India has climbed a notch in the global forest league — now holding the ninth spot worldwide in total forest area, up from tenth in the previous assessment.
According to the latest Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 (GFRA), India’s forest area stands at approximately 72.74 million hectares, constituting about two percent of the world’s forests.
What makes the achievement more noteworthy is that India also retains the third rank globally in annual net forest gain, adding about 191,000 hectares per year between 2015 and 2025.
India is Top 9 in the Global Forest Assessment 2025 🌳🌲
Here is a reason to rejoice for all Indians. We have achieved 9th rank in terms of forest area at the global level as compared to 10th spot in the previous assessment. We have also maintained our 3rd position globally in… pic.twitter.com/nDC5uzPuNi
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) October 22, 2025
The report marks a green milestone for the country, highlighting its consistent growth in forest cover and its leading role in reforestation efforts.
The assessment, which tracks long-term forest trends and their impact on biodiversity, climate, and sustainable land use, analysed 35 years of data from 236 countries across three time periods — 1990–2000, 2000–2015, and 2015–2025.
Globally, Russia leads the forest area rankings with 832.63 million hectares (20 percent of global forest cover), followed by Brazil (486.09 million hectares), Canada (368.82 million hectares), and the United States (308.90 million hectares).
The road ahead
Officials attribute India’s steady forest growth to large-scale afforestation campaigns and community-driven conservation efforts, including initiatives like ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ and state-level plantation programmes.
Experts say the achievement underscores India’s crucial role in global climate action. Forests are vital for carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and biodiversity, helping buffer the impacts of extreme weather and supporting millions of rural livelihoods.
However, the challenge now lies in improving forest quality, curbing illegal encroachment, and ensuring sustainable management of degraded lands. The GFRA warns that despite new gains, net global forest loss still stands at around 4.12 million hectares per year in the 2015-2025 period.
For India, maintaining momentum means deeper investment in the restoration of degraded forests, improving the productivity of existing forest land, and safeguarding vulnerable ecosystems. In doing so, the nation is not just protecting trees — it is investing in a greener future for its citizens and the planet.
Sources:
‘India now 9th globally in forest area; behind only China & Russia in annual green gain’: by Soumya Pillai for The Print, published on 22 October 2025
‘India rises to 9th spot globally in forest area, retains 3rd position in forest gain: FAO report’: by Press Trust Of India, published on 22 October 2025
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thebetterindia.com
