Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025
Context:
India has climbed to the ninth spot globally in total forest area and retained its third rank in annual forest area gain, according to Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
What is it?
Global FRA Report tracks global forest resources, analyzing data from 236 countries and territories. The 2025 report analyzes 35 years of data
It assesses the state of forests and their impact on global biodiversity, climate, and sustainable land use.
Key Findings for India:
India has moved up to the 9th position (previously 10th rank) globally in terms of total forest area.
India's total forest area is 72.74 million hectares (accounts for 2% of the world's total forests.)
India has maintained its 3rd position worldwide in terms of annual forest area net gain.
In annual net forest gains between 2015 and 2025, India added approximately 191,000 hectares per year, trailing only China and Russia.
The MoEFCC Ministry has credited growing public participation, inspired by initiatives like 'Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam', for fostering a collective responsibility towards a greener future.
Key Findings: Global Rankings
Nearly half of the world’s forests are located in the tropics.
About 20% of forests (813 million hectares) are in legally established protected areas, an increase of 251 million hectares since 1990.
Despite gains in some countries, the report revealed a worrying global trend.
Annual net forest loss, which declined from 10.7 million hectares per year in 1990-2000 to 3.68 million hectares per year in 2000-2015—largely due to increased forest cover in Canada, China, Russia and the US— rose to 4.12 million hectares per year in 2015-2025.