Tree cover loss in North Korea
North Korea: Tree cover loss was 11,981 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
11,981 hectares
Change on year
up 18.7%
World rank
81st
of 197 countries
All-time high
27,412 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
4,873 hectares
in 2013
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Tree cover loss in North Korea, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 11,981 hectares for tree cover loss in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.7% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in North Korea peaked at 27,412 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4,873 hectares, in 2013.
That places North Korea 81st out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Tree cover loss in North Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11,675 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 5,241 hectares | -55.1% |
| 2003 | 7,193 hectares | +37.2% |
| 2004 | 11,183 hectares | +55.5% |
| 2005 | 16,334 hectares | +46.1% |
| 2006 | 12,297 hectares | -24.7% |
| 2007 | 13,154 hectares | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 18,507 hectares | +40.7% |
| 2009 | 12,957 hectares | -30.0% |
| 2010 | 18,752 hectares | +44.7% |
| 2011 | 5,275 hectares | -71.9% |
| 2012 | 16,389 hectares | +210.7% |
| 2013 | 4,873 hectares | -70.3% |
| 2014 | 10,766 hectares | +120.9% |
| 2015 | 10,796 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 11,320 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 8,448 hectares | -25.4% |
| 2018 | 7,656 hectares | -9.4% |
| 2019 | 27,412 hectares | +258.0% |
| 2020 | 14,681 hectares | -46.4% |
| 2021 | 13,573 hectares | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 8,986 hectares | -33.8% |
| 2023 | 10,093 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2024 | 11,981 hectares | +18.7% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 11,981 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 7,400 hectares, 1.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 11,981 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39,449 hectares, 30% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12,060 hectares | 5,241 hectares | 18,507 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 12,169 hectares | 4,873 hectares | 27,412 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,863 hectares | 8,986 hectares | 14,681 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 3.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Agricultural Soils 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.838 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 24.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in North Korea?
- Tree cover loss in North Korea was 11,981 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 27,412 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,873 hectares in 2013.
- How does North Korea rank for tree cover loss?
- North Korea ranks 81st out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Tree cover loss driven by all causes.