[2] More than half (54%) of the world's forests are found in only five countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Russia and the United States).
In 2022, forest covered 95% of the land area in Suriname, 94% in Guyana and 92% in the Federated States of Micronesia.
The small African nation of Gabon, while only containing 0.58% of the world's forest cover, has the largest forest-to-land ratio of any country (91.3%).
The remaining 20% is located in more than 34 million patches across the world[5] with the vast majority being less than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) in size.
The World Health Organization has compiled a list of ecological goods and services that depend on forests and without which humans could not survive, including: flood and drought mitigation, water purification, erosion control, and disease reduction.
Maintaining the size, continuity, and biodiversity of the world's forests is crucial for human health and prosperity.
However, forest cover is severely threatened by deforestation, as a direct consequence of agriculture, grazing,[7] and mining.
This pattern is due to the regeneration abilities of forests, as well as a conscious global effort to reduce deforestation.