World and society · ranked by Forest expansion
Countries with the fastest forest expansion
| # | Name | Forest expansion | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,885 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 2 | 839.55 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 3 | 815.36 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 4 | 674 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 5 | 604.18 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 6 | 117.5 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 7 | 106.4 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 8 | 89.86 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 9 | 77.65 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 10 | 53.91 thousand hectares per year | — |
Show positions 11–50
| 11 | 48.92 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 12 | 47.91 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 13 | 45 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 14 | 42.05 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 15 | 40.7 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 16 | 39.68 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 17 | 38.05 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 18 | 35.8 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 19 | 34.4 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 20 | 34.28 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 21 | 31.24 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 22 | 30.32 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 23 | 21.5 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 24 | 20.64 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 25 | 18.89 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 26 | 18.37 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 27 | 18.13 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 28 | 15.8 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 29 | 15 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 30 | 14.54 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 31 | 14 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 32 | 13.4 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 33 | 12.6 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 34 | 11.68 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 35 | 11.52 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 36 | 10.81 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 37 | 10.81 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 38 | 9.84 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 39 | 9.03 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 40 | 8.05 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 41 | 8.02 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 42 | 8 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 43 | 8 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 44 | 7.95 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 45 | 7.79 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 46 | 7.29 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 47 | 7.15 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 48 | 7 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 49 | 6.74 thousand hectares per year | — | |
| 50 | 6.15 thousand hectares per year | — |
History
How the top 10 has moved
Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.
Chart data as a table
| Name | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-29 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1 | 1 |
| Russia | 2 | 2 |
| United States | 3 | 3 |
| India | 4 | 4 |
| Australia | 5 | 5 |
| Turkey | 6 | 6 |
| Azerbaijan | 7 | 7 |
| Sudan | 8 | 8 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 9 |
| Paraguay | 10 | 10 |
About this ranking
Countries with the fastest forest expansion, explained
Countries with the fastest forest expansion is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Forest expansion, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. 2 snapshots have been published so far, and every one of them is kept, so the rank history chart on this page shows exactly how each position has moved over time.
China currently holds #1 with 1,885 thousand hectares per year. Russia is second with 839.55 thousand hectares per year, which puts the leader 2.2 times ahead. United States completes the top three with 815.36 thousand hectares per year. Together the top three account for about 67% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.
What changed in the latest update: China has held #1 for 2 consecutive updates. Movements are computed by comparing the newest published snapshot with the one before it, so a change here always reflects two real data points rather than an estimate.
How it is measured: Forest expansion. Our World in Data chart "annual-forest-expansion"; 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 with the fastest forest expansion?
- China is #1 with 1,885 thousand hectares per year, as of 2026-10-29. Russia is #2.
- How is Countries with the fastest forest expansion ranked?
- By Forest expansion. Forest expansion. Our World in Data chart "annual-forest-expansion"; 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 and 2 snapshots have been published in total.
- 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.