Data extracted in December 2024. Planned article update December 2025.
Highlights
The countries with the largest forest areas in the EU are Sweden (28 million hectares), Finland (22 million hectares) and Spain (19 million hectares), as estimated for 2022.
EU forests generate 174 €/ha of GVA according to 2022 data, marking a significant 19% increase from the previous year, 2021.
In 2022 about 476 300 people are employed in forestry and logging; a drop of 16% since 2000.
Forest area in the EU, 2022 (share of forest in total area, %)
Context This article presents statistics on forestry and logging in the European Union (EU) and it is mostly based on Eurostat's annual data collection European Forest Accounts. Indicators combining data on forest resources and the economic and employment data are presented. In addition to the traditional production of wood and other forest-based products, forests are increasingly valued for their environmental role and as a public amenity. A wide range of EU policies and initiatives are linked to forests and the ecosystem services they provide, including biodiversity and climate change mitigation. This is recognized in the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the EU Nature Restoration Law and in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). The forest also plays an important role in the EU Bioeconomy Strategy by supporting employment in rural areas.
Forest areas in the EU are expanding
In 2022, the EU had an estimated 160 million hectares of forests (excluding other wooded land). In relative terms, this means that forests cover 39% of the EU's land area. This represents an increase of about 8.3 million hectares or 5.5% since 2000 and 2.6 million hectares or 1.7% since 2010. Forests cover more than half of the national (terrestrial) territory in 5 countries: Finland (66%), Sweden (63%), Slovenia (58%), Estonia (54%) and Latvia (53%) (Figure 1). In absolute terms, the countries with the largest forest areas are Sweden (27 980 thousand ha), Finland (22 409 thousand ha) and Spain (18 576 thousand ha), as estimated in 2022.
The stocks of timber in the EU's forests is estimated to be 28.6 billion m3 (over bark) in 2022. Germany accounts for the largest share of this (13.2%), followed by Sweden (12.6%), and France (11.8%). (Figure 2) The stocks of timber in forests has increased in every country, giving a 32% growth at EU level in the period of 2000–2022. (Figure 3) The largest increase was estimated for Ireland (163%), France (66%), Cyprus and Italy (57% and 54% respectively), while at the other end of the spectrum, a much more moderate increase was estimated for Sweden (14%) as well as Czechia (10%) and Slovenia (7%) (Figure 2). The increase in timber stock observed between 2000 and 2022 can be explained by the expansion of forest areas due to afforestation and natural reforestation.
In total, an estimated 66% of the net annual increment of wood in EU forests was removed by the logging industry in 2022. The share of removals to net increment ranges from 30% to more than 100% in EU countries, with the exception of Cyprus, where only 9% of the net increment was felled and removed from the forest. Removals in 2 countries exceed 90% of the net increment: Czechia (estimated at 104%), Germany (95%). (Figure 4). A removal share exceeding 100% of annual net increment, as observed in Czechia, is possible when natural disturbances such as insects, wind, drought and forest fires create damaged wood that becomes available for harvest. This practice is called salvage logging and has increased in EU countries affected by natural disturbances over the past decade.
(%)
Source: Eurostat (for_vol_efa)
Economic indicators for forestry and logging
Total gross value added (GVA) generated by the forestry and logging industry in the EU reached €27.9 billion in 2022, marking a 13% increase from the previous year (Table 1). In absolute terms, these industries generate the greatest GVA in Finland (€4.4 billion), France (€3.9 billion) and Germany (€3.2 billion) in 2022. Please note that Table 1 presents GVA data for 2000 and 2022 in current prices (i.e. not adjusted for inflation). Therefore, these values should not be used to make comparisons over time to comment on temporal trends. For such purposes the GVA values relative to GDP, shown in the last columns, may be more suitable. These values also indicate the economic significance of the forestry and logging industry within the country’s overall economy.
The GVA of the forestry and logging industry represented 0.17% of the EU GDP in 2022, which is 19% less than the share in 2000 (0.21%). The GVA generated by forestry and logging accounted for more than 1% of GDP in 4 countries in 2000: Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Finland. By 2022, this is still the case for 2 countries: Latvia and Finland.
On average, forests of EU countries generated 174 €/ha of GVA in 2022. The largest GVA per forest area is estimated for the Netherlands (597 €/ha), Czechia (471 €/ha) and Slovakia (401 €/ha) in 2022. This indicator needs to be interpreted with care when using it as a proxy to compare economic productivity of forestry and logging across the EU, as it may be affected by the types of activities performed by the forestry and logging sector.
Source: Eurostat (for_eco_cp), (for_area_efa) and (nama_10_gdp)
Employment and apparent labour productivity in forestry and logging
Table 2 provides data on employment and apparent labour productivity within the EU’s forestry and logging sector, using National Accounts employment data. In the EU, about 476 260 persons work in the forestry and logging sector in 2022, which represents a decrease of 16% compared to 2000. The largest workforce is recorded in Sweden with 61 000 persons, followed by Romania (53 900 persons) and Germany (42 000 persons).
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_a64_e), (for_area_efa), (for_vol_efa) and (for_eco_cp)
The ratio of labour input per area of forest gives an indication of the labour intensity of the sector across EU countries. In 2022, its mean value for the EU was 3 employed persons per 1 000 hectares of forest. This value varies considerably between countries, ranging from around 12.3 employed persons per 1 000 hectares in Slovakia to less than one person per 1 000 hectares in Spain (see Table 2 and Figure 5) in 2022. Part of the differences across EU countries may also reflect differences in management practices, the density of the timber stock, forest patch-size and connectivity, and the terrain.
(persons employed / 1 000 ha)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_a64_e), and (for_area_efa)
The labour productivity of the forestry and logging sector (calculated as GVA per person employed) varied also substantially across EU countries in 2022. The highest levels of labour productivity were recorded in Finland (€203 800 per person employed), France (€131 500 per person employed) and Slovenia (€ 87 600 per person employed), while at the other end of the range less than 10 000 € of GVA per person employed is generated in Cyprus (€3500 per person employed), Luxembourg (€4 300 per person employed) and Greece (€4 900 per person employed). (see Table 2).
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
This article is based on Eurostat's annual data collection called European Forest Accounts (EFA). EFA collects essential data on traditional forest resources (wooded land and timber) and the economic activity of the forestry and logging industry. The data collection is voluntary and not all Member States report data annually. To estimate the values for the EU, missing data for Member States' who did not report for EFA were gap-filled - (i) data on the area of wooded from FAO - Forest Resources Assessment 2020; (ii) data on the volume of timber (stocks and flows) using the Carbon Budget Model and (iii) economic variables and employment from national accounts data.
The collection of forest accounts re-started in 2008 after a break of several years. As in the 1990s, it was known as Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting for Forests (IEEAF). In 2016, the data-reporting questionnaire was revised with a task force of experts, to simplify the data collection and adapted to new needs, while continuing the time series on the economic aggregates of forestry and logging. The data collection was re-named to the current 'European Forest Accounts'.
In addition to EFA, Eurostat collects annual data on the production and trade in wood and wood products in the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ). Statistics explained article Wood products - production and trade is based on JFSQ data.
Explore further
Database
Dedicated section
Main tables
Methodology
- Eurostat's methodological section for forestry statistics and accounts
- Forest resources (ESMS metadata file — for_sfm_esms)
- Economics (ESMS metadata file — for_eaf_esms)
- European Forest Accounts Questionnaire (EFA)