The two pie charts compare the percentage of the world’s forests in five different regions and the percentage of timber found in each region.
Overall, Africa had the largest proportion of the world’s forests, while Asia had the smallest share. However, North America contained the highest percentage of timber, whereas Africa had the lowest figure. It is also clear that Africa had a much higher share of forests than timber.
In terms of forest area, Africa accounted for the largest percentage, at 27%. This was followed by North America, with 25%. Europe made up 18% of the world’s forests, while South America had a slightly lower figure, at 16%. Asia had the smallest proportion, at only 14%.
Regarding timber, North America ranked first, with 30% of the total. South America also had a high percentage of timber, at 23%, although its forest share was only 16%. Europe and Asia made up 20% and 18% of timber respectively, both higher than their proportions of forests. By contrast, Africa had just 9% of timber, despite having the largest forest area. This shows that Africa’s forests may contain much less usable timber than those in other regions.