Analiza Posted on 2026-09-09 11:46:00

Not a single hectare moved?! INSTAT reports the same forest area as in 2024

From Xhorxhina Deda

Not a single hectare moved?! INSTAT reports the same forest area as in 2024

Albania had about 1.15 million hectares of forests in 2025, an area that has not changed compared to the previous year. The latest INSTAT data show that forests occupy about 40% of the country's territory and constitute the largest part of the forest and pasture fund.

In total, the forest and pasture fund extends to about 1.73 million hectares, or 60.2% of the surface area of ​​Albania. Of this, 66.2% consists of forests, while about 449 thousand hectares are pastures and meadows. About another 136 thousand hectares are classified as areas with forest and unproductive vegetation.

The data also shows that the total volume of forests amounts to about 53 million cubic meters. The vast majority, about 94%, consists of public forests, while only 6% are private forests.

Another indicator is related to protected areas. In 2025, Albania counted 777 protected areas, spread over about 626 thousand hectares. Their number remained the same as in 2024, but the surface area expanded by about 940 hectares. Protected areas now occupy 21.7% of the country's territory.

In an international comparison, FAO data published by Visual Capitalist ranks Albania 129th in the world for absolute forest area, with about 941 thousand hectares. North Macedonia ranks slightly higher, at 127th, with about 1.03 million hectares, while Montenegro is 133rd with about 827 thousand hectares.

Globally, Russia dominates with over 830 million hectares of forests, or about a fifth of the world total, followed by Brazil and Canada.

The FAO figure for Albania differs from that of INSTAT, as the sources use different definitions and methodologies for measuring forest area.

 

Live TV

Latest news
All news

Most visited