Population, Population Growth Rate, and Forest Area in 2000, and Average Annual Change in Forest Area 1990-2000 by Geographic Areaa

	Population		Forest Area
Region	Total (millions)	Annual growth rate, 1995-2000 (Percent)	Total (Million hectares)	Average annual change, 1990-2000 (Percent)
Asia	3,634	1.4	548	-0.1
Africa	767	2.4	640	-0.8
Europe	729	0	1,039	1.0
North and Central America	478	1.6	549	-0.1
United States	276	0.8	226	-0.2
South America	341	1.5	886	-0.4
Oceania	30	1.3	197	-0.2
World	5,978	1.3	3,869	-0.2

Almost half of the world's forests are located in South America and the former USSR, with similar areas of forest in North and Central America, Africa, and Asia (Figure 1). Over one-half of the world's forests are located in tropical regions (Figure 2).

Percentage of Forest Area Globally by Region, 2003

_img1

Source: FAO 2004.
Percentage of World's Forests by Forest Type 2003

_img2

Page url: http://www.fsclumber.us?populationpopulationgrowth.htm