How Much of Earth's Land Surface Is Covered by Rainforests?

Rainforests cover approximately 6–7% of Earth's total land surface (about 8–9 million km² / 3.1–3.5 million mi²). Despite this small footprint, they harbor over half of the world's terrestrial species and play disproportionate roles in carbon storage, rainfall generation, and climate regulation.

Major Rainforest Blocks

Amazon (South America)

~5.5–6.7 million km² (largest by far; ~60% of global tropical rainforest). Spans 9 countries; 60% in Brazil.

Congo Basin (Central Africa)

~1.8–2 million km² (second largest). DRC, Gabon, Congo, Cameroon, CAR, Equatorial Guinea.

Southeast Asia

~1.1–1.3 million km² (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Thailand). Highly fragmented.

New Guinea

~0.8 million km² (split between Indonesia and PNG). Extremely biodiverse, less studied.

Central America & Caribbean

~0.2 million km² (fragmented remnants).

Madagascar

~0.05 million km² (highly endemic, severely reduced).

Temperate Rainforests

Additional ~0.3–0.4 million km² in coastal zones of North America (Pacific Northwest), Chile, Tasmania, New Zealand, Japan, and Norway. Not always included in "rainforest" totals but ecologically analogous.

Historical Loss and Current Trends

• Original extent: ~14–15% of land surface (~24 million km²) before human expansion.
• Lost: >50% of original tropical rainforest cleared, mostly since 1950.
• Annual loss (2020s): ~100,000–150,000 km²/year (primary forest loss ~30,000–40,000 km²/year).
• Drivers: Cattle, soy, palm oil, logging, mining, infrastructure, fire.

Why the Small Area Matters Immensely

• Carbon: Store ~250 Gt C (≈30 years of current emissions).
• Water: Generate "flying rivers" supplying rain to continents.
• Biodiversity: Millions of undescribed species; pharmaceutical potential.
• Indigenous Peoples: Home to ~50 million forest-dependent people.

Protecting the remaining 6–7% is a global survival imperative.