New Delhi: India has climbed to ninth place globally in terms of total forest area and maintained its position as the third-highest country in annual forest area gain, according to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The achievement marks an important milestone in India’s environmental efforts, with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav hailing it as a "major achievement" in sustainable forest management and ecological conservation.

"Here is a reason to rejoice for all Indians," Yadav wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "We have moved up from 10th to 9th rank globally in total forest area, and retained our 3rd position in terms of annual forest gain."

The Minister credited the success to large-scale afforestation campaigns, increased community participation, and recent initiatives such as ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’, which promotes tree planting in honour of one's mother. State-level afforestation drives have also played a critical role.

India among global leaders in forest growth

According to the FAO report, India recorded an annual net gain of 1.91 lakh hectares (191,000 ha) in forest area between 2015 and 2025, only behind China (1.69 million ha) and the Russian Federation (942,000 ha).

India now ranks just behind Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Australia in total forest area, placing it firmly among the world’s top 10 forest-rich countries.

Other countries with notable forest expansion include:

  • Turkiye (118,000 ha)
  • Australia (105,000 ha)
  • France (95,900 ha)
  • Indonesia (94,100 ha)
  • South Africa (87,600 ha)
  • Canada (82,500 ha)
  • Vietnam (72,800 ha)

Asia leads global forest gains

Asia was the only region to record a net increase in forest area from 1990 to 2025, primarily driven by afforestation efforts in China and India. This regional growth has played a vital role in slowing global deforestation, the FAO noted.

Globally, the annual rate of net forest loss has more than halved from 10.7 million hectares per year in the 1990s to 4.12 million hectares between 2015 and 2025.

However, deforestation remains most severe in South America and Africa, the report warned.

Forest protection and management on the rise

The report also highlighted that:

  • 20% of the world’s forests are now under legally protected areas
  • 55% are managed under long-term forest management plans

The Environment Ministry said India’s continued progress reflects the success of community-led forest protection programmes and its commitment to climate and biodiversity goals under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

The GFRA 2025 was officially launched at a UN event in Bali, Indonesia earlier this week.