Which Countries Have the Highest Forest Cover in 2026? Top 10 by Land Area
Updated: 2026-08-27Suriname
Suriname has the world's highest forest coverage as a share of land area, with about 94.45% of its territory classified as forest in 2023.
Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia ranked second, with forests covering approximately 92.16% of its land area in 2023.
Gabon
Gabon ranked third with approximately 91.18% of its land area covered by forest in 2023.
Palau
Palau had approximately 90.54% forest coverage in 2023, placing it fourth globally.
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands ranked fifth, with forests covering approximately 90.06% of its land area in 2023.
Guyana
Guyana had approximately 87.09% forest coverage in 2023, making it the sixth-ranked country.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ranked seventh with approximately 86.39% of its land area classified as forest.
American Samoa
American Samoa recorded approximately 85.20% forest coverage in 2023 and ranked eighth in the underlying dataset.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea ranked ninth with approximately 78.95% of its land area covered by forest in 2023.
Liberia
Liberia ranked tenth with approximately 78.14% forest coverage in 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the highest percentage of forest cover?▼
Suriname ranks first, with about 94.45% of its land area covered by forest in the latest 2023 dataset. Micronesia and Gabon follow at about 92.16% and 91.18%.
What data is used to compare forest cover between countries?▼
The ranking uses forest area as a percentage of total land area, with the underlying series sourced from FAO data and reported for 2023. The World Bank's forest-area indicator uses the same general concept of forest area relative to land area.
Does having the highest forest percentage mean a country has the largest forest area?▼
No. Forest percentage measures how much of a country's own land is forested, so small countries can rank highly even though their total forest area is much smaller than countries such as Brazil or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.