The government
Dateline: NEW DELHI, October 23, 2025 —
India has successfully climbed from the 10th to the 9th position globally in terms of forest area, according to the latest assessments by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The advancement reflects continuing efforts in forest expansion and conservation across the country.
Background:
- The FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 reports that global forest area covers some 4.06 billion hectares and about 31 percent of the world’s land surface. (FAOHome)
- In India, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) assesses forest-and-tree cover regularly, and reports indicate that over recent years the country’s forest metrics have been trending upward. (Foreign Service Institute)
- A 2017 press release noted India was ranked 10th globally, covering approximately 24.4 % of its land area as forest & tree cover. (Press Information Bureau)
Key Developments:
- While detailed ranking data for the move to 9th place remains under review by independent analysts, multiple sources affirm India’s success among the top nations in forest-area gains. For instance, India gained on average about 266,000 hectares of forest each year between 2010–2020, placing it 3rd among global gains in that period. (Business Standard)
- The improvement in global rank to 9th suggests that India’s absolute forest area now surpasses at least one country that previously ranked ahead of it. This could reflect both India’s gains and slower or negative growth elsewhere.
- India’s total forest area in 2022 stood at approximately 726,928 sq km (24.4 % of land area) according to FAO data. (TheGlobalEconomy.com)
Reactions & Impact:
- Government officials have welcomed the ranking improvement as a validation of initiatives like community-joint forest management, afforestation drives, and stricter protection of dense forest tracts.
- Analysts caution that ranking alone does not guarantee quality — forest health, biodiversity, regeneration, and ecosystem services (carbon storage, watershed protection) remain critical areas of focus.
- Environmental groups note that even with gains, challenges persist: monitoring regeneration, preventing encroachment, and combating climate-driven threats like pests and fires. The FAO’s 2024 update emphasises these global concerns. (Down To Earth)
Global/Regional Context:
- Among the countries with largest increases in forest area between 2010–2020, China and Australia led globally, with India in the third spot. (The Indian Express)
- In Asia, net forest-area gain contrasts with some neighbouring countries experiencing losses — India’s success therefore contributes significantly toward regional forest-area balance. (Down To Earth)
Outlook:
- To sustain and further improve its position, India will likely deepen focus on very-dense forest cover, improved forest quality, and ** ecosystem services** outcomes (carbon sequestration, biodiversity).
- Monitoring frameworks (such as FSI’s biennial surveys) will continue to play an essential role in validating upward trends. (Foreign Service Institute)
- Internationally, as global forest-management attention shifts from area alone to forest-health metrics, India’s next challenge lies not just in area expansion but in ensuring that forests deliver on resilience and environmental service outcomes.
— The Vagabond News
India Ranks 9th Globally in Forest Area, FAO
India moves up from 10th to 9th in global forest-area rankings per FAO; key gains & implications explained.
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