The two pie charts illustrate the proportions of the world’s forests and the amount of timber they produce across five different regions.
Overall, while Africa contains the largest share of global forests, North America accounts for the highest proportion of timber output. By contrast, Asia and Africa produce relatively little timber compared to their forest area.
Looking at the first chart, Africa makes up the largest percentage of the world’s forests, representing 27%, followed by North America at 25% and South America at 16%. Europe and Asia have smaller shares, with 18% and 14%, respectively.
In terms of timber production, however, the pattern differs noticeably. North America leads by a considerable margin, contributing 30% of total timber, despite having a slightly smaller forest area than Africa. South America also shows a relatively high figure, at 23%, which is notably greater than its 16% forest share. Meanwhile, Europe and Asia produce 20% and 18% of the world’s timber respectively, proportions that roughly correspond to their forest coverage. Africa, in contrast, has the lowest output at just 9%, which is strikingly low compared to its dominant share of global forests.