Environment and Ecology · EnvEco0165
Forest Cover in India: National Rankings, ISFR 2023
India’s highest forest-cover percentage doesn’t belong to a state at all. It belongs to Lakshadweep, a tiny Union Territory, at over 91 percent.
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Must Know: India’s National Forest Cover
1. Definition, and the national total
Definition Forest cover means all land over one hectare with tree canopy density above 10 percent. It counts regardless of ownership or legal status.
The national total India’s forest and tree cover together total 25.17 percent of the country’s area, per the 2023 India State of Forest Report (ISFR). That splits into 21.76 percent forest cover and 3.41 percent tree cover.
2. Source, and a decade of growth
Source The Forest Survey of India measures this data. It publishes the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR).
A decade of growth India’s forest cover grew from 6,98,712 sq km in 2013 to 7,15,343 sq km in 2023, a net gain of over 16,000 sq km.
QUICK CHECK 1 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Per ISFR 2023, India’s forest and tree cover together total about 25.17% of the country’s area.
That’s correct: 21.76% forest cover plus 3.41% tree cover.
Show answer
True. That’s correct: 21.76% forest cover plus 3.41% tree cover.
Good to Know: Which States and UTs Lead
1. Highest by percentage: two tiny UTs, one state
Lakshadweep At 91.33 percent forest cover, this small Union Territory ranks first in India, ahead of every state.
Mizoram At 85.34 percent, Mizoram is the highest-ranked actual state, and second nationally.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands At 81.62 percent, this Union Territory ranks third nationally.
2. Eight states and UTs cross 75 percent
The 75% club Beyond the top three, five more states cross 75 percent forest cover: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur. All eight members of this list, states and UTs together, are Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur.
A northeast pattern Six of those eight are northeastern states. The Northeast region’s forest and tree cover together total about 1,74,395 sq km, roughly 67 percent of the region’s own area.
3. Largest forest area belongs to different states entirely
By absolute area, not percentage Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area of any state, at 77,073 sq km. Arunachal Pradesh is second, at 65,882 sq km. Chhattisgarh is third, at 55,812 sq km.
Why this list looks different None of India’s top-three-by-percentage states or UTs appear here. A small, densely forested territory can win on percentage; only a large state with substantial forest can win on raw area.
4. Four often-tested central Indian states
Chhattisgarh Forest cover is about 46.89 percent of its area, the highest of these four states.
Odisha Forest cover is about 35.13 percent of its area.
Madhya Pradesh Forest cover is about 28.31 percent of its area, despite holding the largest forest area in India.
Maharashtra Forest cover is about 16.94 percent of its area, the lowest of these four, and a frequent UPSC comparison set.
QUICK CHECK 2 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Mizoram has India’s highest forest-cover percentage of any state or Union Territory.
Lakshadweep ranks first nationally, at 91.33%. Mizoram is the highest-ranked state, at 85.34%, but second overall behind that Union Territory.
Show answer
False. Lakshadweep ranks first nationally, at 91.33%. Mizoram is the highest-ranked state, at 85.34%, but second overall behind that Union Territory.
QUICK CHECK 3 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Eight states and Union Territories have forest cover above 75%, and six of them are in India’s northeast.
That’s correct. Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the two non-northeastern members of that list.
Show answer
True. That’s correct. Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the two non-northeastern members of that list.
QUICK CHECK 4 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area of any Indian state, at 77,073 sq km.
That’s correct. Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km) rank second and third.
Show answer
True. That’s correct. Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km) rank second and third.
QUICK CHECK 5 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Among Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh has both the highest forest-cover percentage and the largest forest area.
Only the second half is true. MP has the largest forest area in India, but Chhattisgarh has the higher percentage among these four, since MP’s own territory is so much larger.
Show answer
False. Only the second half is true. MP has the largest forest area in India, but Chhattisgarh has the higher percentage among these four, since MP’s own territory is so much larger.
Great to Know: Why Percentage and Area Rankings Differ
1. The area effect, and geography
Area effect A small state or UT can show a high percentage with a modest forest area. A large state can show a low percentage despite a huge forest area. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh illustrate this exactly.
Geography Chhattisgarh’s high share comes from its central highlands and the Bastar plateau. Much of this land was never suited to intensive farming, so forest survived there. The northeastern states’ hill terrain and low population density have the same effect, at an even larger scale.
Maharashtra’s low share Maharashtra is dominated by the Deccan plateau and long-cultivated black-soil tracts. Centuries of agriculture and dense population reduced its natural forest share.
2. Growth and decline can happen in the same state
Biggest gainers Between the two most recent ISFR editions, Mizoram (+242 sq km), Gujarat (+180 sq km), and Odisha (+152 sq km) saw the largest increases in forest cover.
Biggest losses, including the top state Madhya Pradesh, despite holding India’s largest forest area, also recorded the largest decrease of any state, losing 612.41 sq km. Karnataka (-459.36 sq km) and Ladakh (-159.26 sq km) followed.
The lesson A state’s rank on one measure, like total forest area, does not protect it from decline. National totals can rise even while individual states lose ground.
3. Stability of the four-state ranking
Stability of ranking The Chhattisgarh-Odisha-MP-Maharashtra ranking by percentage has stayed the same across recent ISFR editions. The percentages shift slightly each cycle, but the ordering has not changed.
Think it through. Why does Madhya Pradesh hold the record for largest forest area in India, while Chhattisgarh holds the record for highest forest-cover percentage among these four central Indian states?
Show the explanation
These are two different measurements. Forest area is a raw total, in square kilometres, so a very large state like Madhya Pradesh can rack up the biggest number even if forest covers a relatively modest share of its own territory. Forest-cover percentage instead compares forest area to that state’s own total size. Chhattisgarh is much smaller than Madhya Pradesh, but a much larger share of its land, especially its central highlands and the Bastar plateau, remains forested, so it wins on the percentage measure even with a smaller raw forest area.
QUICK CHECK 6 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Madhya Pradesh recorded the largest decrease in forest cover of any state between the two most recent ISFR editions, despite holding India’s largest forest area.
That’s correct, losing 612.41 sq km. Karnataka and Ladakh saw the next-largest declines.
Show answer
True. That’s correct, losing 612.41 sq km. Karnataka and Ladakh saw the next-largest declines.
QUICK CHECK 7 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Chhattisgarh’s high forest-cover percentage comes largely from its central highlands and the Bastar plateau, land never well-suited to intensive farming.
That’s correct, in contrast to Maharashtra, where centuries of agriculture on the Deccan plateau’s black-soil tracts reduced natural forest share.
Show answer
True. That’s correct, in contrast to Maharashtra, where centuries of agriculture on the Deccan plateau’s black-soil tracts reduced natural forest share.
Previous Year Questions
1. NDA-NA (II) 2016 — Total forest area, not percentage
The question NDA-NA (II) 2016 asked to rank Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh by total forest area (not percentage of state area). By absolute area, the order is Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, a different ranking from percentage-of-area questions, since MP’s huge size gives it the largest raw forest area despite a lower percentage cover.
2. UPSC CSP 2019 — Ascending order of forest cover percentage
The question UPSC CSP 2019 asked for the correct ascending order of forest-cover percentage. The correct answer: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, matching option (c), coded 3-2-4-1 in the original question.
QUICK CHECK 8 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
Ranked lowest to highest forest-cover percentage, the order is Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh.
That’s correct, per UPSC CSP 2019. Chhattisgarh has the highest share of its own area under forest; Maharashtra has the lowest.
Show answer
True. That’s correct, per UPSC CSP 2019. Chhattisgarh has the highest share of its own area under forest; Maharashtra has the lowest.
QUICK CHECK 9 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
NDA-NA (II) 2016 and UPSC CSP 2019 both tested the exact same ranking of the same four states.
They didn’t. NDA-NA 2016 ranked Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh by absolute forest area. CSP 2019 ranked Maharashtra, MP, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh by percentage.
Show answer
False. They didn’t. NDA-NA 2016 ranked Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh by absolute forest area. CSP 2019 ranked Maharashtra, MP, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh by percentage.
QUICK CHECK 10 OF 10 · TRUE OR FALSE
By absolute forest area, Madhya Pradesh ranks ahead of Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.
That’s correct, per NDA-NA (II) 2016’s tested ranking, despite Madhya Pradesh’s lower forest-cover percentage.
Show answer
True. That’s correct, per NDA-NA (II) 2016’s tested ranking, despite Madhya Pradesh’s lower forest-cover percentage.
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