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World and society ยท ranked by Afforestation

Countries planting the most new forest each year

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-10-29
Number oneChina923 thousand hectares per year
Ranking by Afforestation
#NameAfforestationChange
1
China
923 thousand hectares per yearnew
2167.91 thousand hectares per yearnew
3101.4 thousand hectares per yearnew
483.3 thousand hectares per yearnew
580.94 thousand hectares per yearnew
671.9 thousand hectares per yearnew
753.91 thousand hectares per yearnew
846.79 thousand hectares per yearnew
937 thousand hectares per yearnew
1030.43 thousand hectares per yearnew
Show positions 11โ€“50
1122.2 thousand hectares per yearnew
1216.83 thousand hectares per yearnew
1315.98 thousand hectares per yearnew
1415.8 thousand hectares per yearnew
1515 thousand hectares per yearnew
1614.54 thousand hectares per yearnew
1714 thousand hectares per yearnew
1811.52 thousand hectares per yearnew
1910.81 thousand hectares per yearnew
2010.81 thousand hectares per yearnew
219.94 thousand hectares per yearnew
229.84 thousand hectares per yearnew
238.74 thousand hectares per yearnew
248.46 thousand hectares per yearnew
258.05 thousand hectares per yearnew
268 thousand hectares per yearnew
277.29 thousand hectares per yearnew
287 thousand hectares per yearnew
296.74 thousand hectares per yearnew
306 thousand hectares per yearnew
315.66 thousand hectares per yearnew
324.26 thousand hectares per yearnew
334.04 thousand hectares per yearnew
343.51 thousand hectares per yearnew
353.3 thousand hectares per yearnew
363 thousand hectares per yearnew
372.8 thousand hectares per yearnew
382.47 thousand hectares per yearnew
392.42 thousand hectares per yearnew
402.36 thousand hectares per yearnew
412.01 thousand hectares per yearnew
422 thousand hectares per yearnew
432 thousand hectares per yearnew
441.92 thousand hectares per yearnew
451.9 thousand hectares per yearnew
461.82 thousand hectares per yearnew
471.73 thousand hectares per yearnew
481.58 thousand hectares per yearnew
491.5 thousand hectares per yearnew
501.43 thousand hectares per yearnew

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries planting the most new forest each year, explained

Countries planting the most new forest each year is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Afforestation, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

China currently holds #1 with 923 thousand hectares per year. Russia is second with 167.91 thousand hectares per year, which puts the leader 5.5 times ahead. Azerbaijan completes the top three with 101.4 thousand hectares per year. Together the top three account for about 75% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: Afforestation. Our World in Data chart "annual-afforestation"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries planting the most new forest each year?
China is #1 with 923 thousand hectares per year, as of 2026-10-29. Russia is #2.
How is Countries planting the most new forest each year ranked?
By Afforestation. Afforestation. Our World in Data chart "annual-afforestation"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-10-29.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.