Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 | 25 Oct 2025

Why in News? 

India has achieved a major milestone in global environmental conservation by climbing to the ninth position worldwide in terms of total forest area, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2025 released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Bali, Indonesia. 

• This marks an improvement from the tenth position in the previous assessment, reflecting the country’s growing commitment to sustainable forest management. 

Key Points 

• About: The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), conducted by the FAO, provides a comprehensive overview of the world’s forest resources—including their condition, management, and uses—based on country-submitted data verified through an expert review process. 
  • The report helps monitor international commitments related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests (2017–2030). 
• Findings About India: 
  • The report highlights that India’s total forest area now stands at approximately 72.73 million hectares, positioning the country ninth globally.  
  • India also continues to hold the third position in the world in terms of annual forest area gain, showcasing the success of its large-scale afforestation and conservation initiatives. 
  • The FAO report also highlights India’s large area under agroforestry, noting that out of 55.4 million hectares of global agroforestry land across 91 countries, India and Indonesia together account for nearly 70% of the global total. 
    • India alone has 12.87 million hectares under agroforestry, which plays a critical role in carbon sequestration, livelihood generation, and ecosystem restoration. 
• Global Trends: 
  • According to the FRA 2025, forests currently cover about 4.14 billion hectares, which is roughly one-third of the Earth’s total land area.  
  • The report notes a slowing of deforestation rates worldwide, although the current rate of 10.9 million hectares per year remains high. 
  • More than half of the world’s forests are now covered by long-term management plans, and nearly 20% fall within legally established protected areas. 
  • Globally, Russia tops the list with 832.6 million hectares of forest, followed by Brazil, Canada, the United States, and China.