The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the 18th India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). The ISFR is published biennially since 1987.
Assessment Methodology
- Satellite data
- National Forest Inventory
- Field verification
- Coverage increased to 751 districts (up from 636)
National Forest Policy, 1988: At least 33% of India’s land should be under forest/tree cover (66% in hilly regions).
Forest and Tree Cover (2023)
- Total: 8,27,356.95 km² (25.17% of GA)
- Forest Cover: 7,15,342.61 km² (21.76%)
- Tree Cover: 1,12,014.34 km² (3.41%)
States/UTs with >33% forest cover: 19
States/UTs with >75% forest cover: 8 - Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A&N Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur
Northeast Region (Forest and Tree cover): 1,74,394.70 km² (67% of GA)
The Northeastern states continued to show a declining trend in forest cover, with only Mizoram recording an increase of 178 sq km.
For the first time, an assessment of forest cover across the Western Ghats was conducted. It revealed that the area designated as eco-sensitive by the Centre has lost 58.22 sq km of forest cover since 2013.
Forest and Tree Cover Distribution
| Class |
Area (km²) |
Percentage of GA |
| Forest Cover |
7,15,342.61 |
21.76% (21.71% in 2021) |
| Tree Cover |
1,12,014.34 |
3.41% (2.91% in 2021) |
| Total Forest and Tree Cover |
8,27,356.95 |
25.17% (24.62% in 2021) |
| Scrub |
43,622.64 |
1.33% |
| Non Forest |
24,16,489.29 |
73.50% |
| Geographical Area of the Country |
32,87,468.88 |
100.00% |
Top States with Largest Forest and Tree Cover: Area (km²)-wise
| State/UT |
Forest and Tree Cover |
| Madhya Pradesh |
85,724 km2 |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
67,083 km2 |
| Chhattisgarh |
65,383 km2 |
Top States with Largest Forest and Tree Cover: Percentage-wise
| State/UT |
% of GA (Forest and Tree Cover) |
| Lakshadweep |
92 percent |
| Mizoram |
88.03 percent |
| Andaman & Nicobar Island |
81.95 percent |
Top States with Largest Forest Cover: Area (km²)-wise
| State/UT |
Forest Cover |
| Madhya Pradesh |
77,073 sq km |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
65,882 sq km |
| Chhattisgarh |
55,812 sq km |
Top States with Largest Forest Cover: Percentage-wise
| State/UT |
% of GA (Forest Cover) |
| Lakshadweep |
91.33 percent |
| Mizoram |
85.34 percent |
| Andaman & Nicobar Island |
81.62 percent |
Top States with Largest Tree Cover: Area (km²)-wise
| State/UT |
Tree Cover |
| Maharashtra |
14,524.88 km2 |
| Rajasthan |
10,841.12 km2 |
| Uttar Pradesh |
8,950.92 km2 |
Top States with Largest Tree Cover: Percentage-wise
| State/UT |
% of GA (Tree Cover) |
| Chandigarh |
18.58 % |
| Delhi |
11.87 % |
| Kerala |
7.48 % |
Increase in Forest and Tree Cover (compared to 2021)
- Net Increase (Forest and Tree Cover): 1,445.81 km²
- Forest Cover ↑ 156.41 km²
- Tree Cover ↑ 1,289.40 km²
Max Increase (Forest & Tree Cover)
| State/UT |
Change (km²) |
| Chhattisgarh | 684 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 559 |
| Odisha | 559 |
Max Increase (Forest Cover)
| State/UT |
Change (km²) |
| Mizoram | 242 |
| Gujarat | 180 |
| Odisha | 152 |
Largest Decrease (Forest Cover)
| State/UT |
Change (km²) |
| Madhya Pradesh | 612.41 |
| Karnataka | 459.36 |
| Ladakh | 159.26 |
Dense Forest Disappearance:
- Since 2021: 3,913 sq km
- Since 2003: 24,651 sq km (6.3% of dense forests lost)
Mangrove Cover
- Total: 4,991.68 km² (0.15% of GA)
- Decrease since 2021: 7.43 km²
- Mangrove cover by area: West Bengal (42.45%) > Gujarat (23.66%) > A&N Islands (12.39%)
- Decrease: Gujarat -36.39 km²
- Increase: Andhra Pradesh +13.01 km², Maharashtra +12.39 km²
Highest Fire Incidents (2023–24): Uttarakhand > Odisha > Chhattisgarh
Total Bamboo Bearing Area
- Estimated: 1,54,670 sq km
- Increase from 2021: 5,227 sq km
- Top States: Madhya Pradesh > Arunachal Pradesh > Maharashtra
Carbon Stock
- Total: 7,285.5 million tonnes (↑ 81.5 Mt)
- CO₂ equivalent: 30.43 billion tonnes
- ↑ 2.29 billion tonnes over 2005 baseline
- Near 2030 target: 2.5–3.0 billion tonnes
| Rank |
State/UT |
Carbon Stock (in Mt) |
| 1 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,021 |
| 2 | Madhya Pradesh | 608 |
| 3 | Chhattisgarh | 505 |
Glossary (ISFR Terms)
- Recorded Forest Area: Legally recorded forest land
- Forest Cover: Area with canopy density >10% (includes plantations)
- Tree Cover: Trees outside forests, <1 hectare in size
- Dense Forest: Canopy density ≥40%
- Very Dense Forest: Canopy density ≥70%
- Open Forest: Canopy density 10–40%
- Trees Outside Forest (TOF): Trees growing outside forest boundaries