New Delhi, Oct. 23 -- India's total forest area ranking has improved to ninth from 10th even as it has maintained its third position worldwide in terms of annual forest gain, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Russia (832.6 million ha) has the highest forest area globally, followed by Brazil (486 million ha), Canada (368.8 million ha), the US (308.89 million ha) and China (227.15 million ha). The assessment is based on data that individual countries report and member nations report, reviewed by FAO. India's forest cover is around 72.73 million ha as per FAO.

The information compiled in these forest resource assessment reports, released every five years, supports monit...