Updated: Wed, Oct 22, 2025 09:20 (IST) India has secured ninth position in global forest area, which is an important achievement for environmental protection. According to the FAO’s GFRA-2025 report, India is third in the world in the annual growth of forest area. Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav praised the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative and described it as inspiring for tree planting. India ranks ninth globally in terms of total forest area (Photo) Digital Desk, New Delhi. India has made a significant achievement in global environmental protection by coming ninth in the total forest area of the world. This information was given in the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA)-2025 report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Bali, Indonesia. Remove ads just read news Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that coming from tenth place to ninth place is a great achievement in sustainable forest management and ecological conservation. This progress underlines the success of the government’s policies and programs regarding environmental protection through forest conservation, afforestation and community efforts. India ranks third in the world in the annual growth of forest area. One Tree in the Name of Mother Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative – ‘One Tree in the Name of Mother’ is inspiring the entire country to plant trees. He said increasing public participation in tree plantation, especially under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, and large-scale campaigns by state governments have contributed to this progress. Congratulations to all Indians He wrote in the X post, “This is a reason for happiness for all Indians.” We achieved the 9th position worldwide in terms of forest area compared to the 10th position in the previous assessment. We also maintained our third position worldwide in terms of annual profit. The Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 was released by FAO in Bali.”India among top 10 forest-rich countries in the world The FAO report said that the world’s total forest area is 4.14 billion hectares, covering 32 percent of the earth’s land. More than half (54 percent) of this is concentrated in just five countries – Russia, Brazil, Canada, the USA and China. India is among the top 10 forest-rich countries in the world after Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. China recorded the highest increase China recorded the highest net annual increase in forest area between 2015 and 2025 at 1.69 million hectares per year, followed by Russia at 9.42,000 hectares and India at 1.91,000 hectares. Other countries with significant forest cover include Turkey (118,000 hectares), Australia (105,000 hectares), France (95,900 hectares), Indonesia (94,100 hectares), South Africa (87,600 hectares), Canada (82,500 hectares) and Vietnam (72,000 hectares). Asia is the only region to record an increase in forest area The assessment showed that Asia is the only region to record an increase in forest area between 1990 and 2025, with the largest increases in China and India. The annual rate of net forest loss worldwide has been reduced by more than half, from 10.7 million hectares in the 1990s to 4.12 million hectares during 2015–2025. Asia’s forest expansion has played a key role in slowing global deforestation, which is highest in South America and Africa, FAO said. According to the report, 20 percent of the world’s forests are now in legally established protected areas, while 55 percent are managed under long-term plans.
India ranks 9th globally in forest area, FAO releases report – India ranks 9th globally in forest area fao report 2025
