placestats

Forest area vs. Muslim share

Holds up after adjusting for income

A country is not a person. Countries where more people are counted as belonging to this group also tend to differ on the other measure, and that is all. It does not follow that the people in the group are the people with the different score. Making that leap is called the ecological fallacy: reading a pattern across places as a fact about individual people. It is the most common misuse of this kind of data. Religion also varies strongly with region, history and national income, so much of what looks religious here is really those. That is what the adjusted figures are for. The religion shares are estimates for two years only, and the survey questions are asked in rounds that can be ten years apart.

Across 181 countries, Forest area and Muslim share rise and fall together at r = -0.48 (on a scale from −1 to +1, where 0 means no link). It holds up almost unchanged when only countries with similar income (GDP per person) are compared (r = -0.48, q = 0.031, allowing for the many pairs tested). Caution: direction is not consistent across regions.

Comparing countries across the middle half of muslim share, 0.262% to 56.1% of population, forest area is worse by 16.9% of land area at the top of that range than the bottom. Comparing only countries with similar national income, the gap is 17.3% of land area.

Link before adjusting (r)-0.478p = 9.7e-12 · 181 countries
After adjusting for national income-0.479p = 1.1e-11 · likely range [-0.58, -0.36]
p, allowing for regions0.042standard error 0.186 · 7 regions
Check for luck (q)0.031across 12,497 pairs

How to read these.r runs from −1 (one goes up as the other goes down) to +1 (they rise together), and 0 means no link. Adjusting for national income means comparing countries with the same GDP per person, so differences in wealth can’t explain the link. Income is used in percentage terms, since an extra $1,000 means more to a poor country than to a rich one. p is how likely a link this strong would be if there were really none. Below 0.05 means it is unlikely to be chance. Very small values are written in short form: 1.1e-32 means a decimal point followed by 31 zeros and then 11, so very close to zero. The likely range is where the true figure probably lies, and a range that crosses zero means the link could easily be chance. Countries in the same region tend to resemble each other, so the third figure allows for that, which gives a fairer p. The standard error is the typical size of the error in r. Finally, testing this many pairs means some will look strong by luck alone. A q below 0.05 means this link is unlikely to be one of those.

Forest area · % of land arealink with income +0.03 · independent
Muslim share · % of populationlink with income -0.14 · independent

Neither of these is closely tied to national income, so adjusting for income is a real test here, not a formality.

“Link with income” is how closely each measure tracks GDP per person across countries, from −1 to +1.

Every country as a dot

Forest area · % of land area →Muslim share · % of population →0%94.4%0.00186%99.9%Aruba: 2.33% of land area, 0.338% of populationAfghanistan: 1.85% of land area, 99.9% of populationAngola: 52.1% of land area, 0.256% of populationAlbania: 28.8% of land area, 74.5% of populationUnited Arab Emirates: 4.47% of land area, 72.9% of populationArgentina: 10.3% of land area, 0.929% of populationArmenia: 11.6% of land area, 0.267% of populationAustralia: 17.4% of land area, 3.5% of populationAustria: 47.2% of land area, 8.3% of populationAzerbaijan: 14.1% of land area, 94.7% of populationBurundi: 10.9% of land area, 2.99% of populationBelgium: 22.6% of land area, 6.81% of populationBenin: 26.5% of land area, 31.4% of populationBurkina Faso: 22.2% of land area, 67.4% of populationBangladesh: 14.5% of land area, 91.1% of populationBulgaria: 36.2% of land area, 10.3% of populationBahrain: 0.95% of land area, 74% of populationBahamas, The: 50.9% of land area, 0.0858% of populationBosnia and Herzegovina: 42.7% of land area, 53.6% of populationBelarus: 43.4% of land area, 0.262% of populationBelize: 54.5% of land area, 0.18% of populationBolivia: 46.3% of land area, 0.0098% of populationBrazil: 59% of land area, 0.0177% of populationBarbados: 14.7% of land area, 0.707% of populationBrunei Darussalam: 72.1% of land area, 82.2% of populationBhutan: 71.6% of land area, 0.222% of populationBotswana: 26.3% of land area, 0.33% of populationCentral African Republic: 35.7% of land area, 6.24% of populationCanada: 39.5% of land area, 4.89% of populationSwitzerland: 32.4% of land area, 6.08% of populationChile: 25% of land area, 0.067% of populationChina: 24% of land area, 1.82% of populationCote d'Ivoire: 7.86% of land area, 46.3% of populationCameroon: 42.7% of land area, 25.2% of populationCongo, Dem. Rep.: 54.2% of land area, 1.27% of populationCongo, Rep.: 64.1% of land area, 1.46% of populationColombia: 52.8% of land area, 0.00393% of populationComoros: 17% of land area, 98.3% of populationCabo Verde: 11.6% of land area, 0.313% of populationCosta Rica: 60.4% of land area, 0.0252% of populationCuracao: 0.158% of land area, 0.497% of populationCyprus: 18.7% of land area, 24.4% of populationCzechia: 34.8% of land area, 0.327% of populationGermany: 32.7% of land area, 6.55% of populationDjibouti: 0.261% of land area, 97.7% of populationDenmark: 15.8% of land area, 4.22% of populationDominican Republic: 45% of land area, 0.0248% of populationAlgeria: 0.83% of land area, 98.4% of populationEcuador: 49.5% of land area, 0.0181% of populationEgypt, Arab Rep.: 0.0452% of land area, 95.2% of populationSpain: 37.2% of land area, 3.58% of populationEstonia: 57.1% of land area, 0.598% of populationEthiopia: 14.9% of land area, 36.2% of populationFinland: 73.7% of land area, 1.61% of populationFiji: 63.5% of land area, 5.78% of populationFrance: 32.5% of land area, 9.1% of populationMicronesia, Fed. Sts.: 92.2% of land area, 0.00196% of populationGabon: 91.2% of land area, 8.64% of populationUnited Kingdom: 13.3% of land area, 6.37% of populationGeorgia: 40.6% of land area, 10.5% of populationGhana: 35.2% of land area, 19.9% of populationGuinea: 24.7% of land area, 86.8% of populationGambia, The: 22.3% of land area, 97% of populationGuinea-Bissau: 69.5% of land area, 56% of populationEquatorial Guinea: 86.4% of land area, 4.05% of populationGreece: 30.3% of land area, 5.12% of populationGrenada: 52.1% of land area, 0.395% of populationGuatemala: 32.6% of land area, 0.00271% of populationGuyana: 87.1% of land area, 6.5% of populationHonduras: 56.3% of land area, 0.00277% of populationCroatia: 34.8% of land area, 1.37% of populationHaiti: 12.3% of land area, 0.00186% of populationHungary: 22.4% of land area, 0.139% of populationIndonesia: 47.7% of land area, 87% of populationIndia: 24.5% of land area, 15.2% of populationIreland: 11.5% of land area, 1.69% of populationIran, Islamic Rep.: 6.65% of land area, 99.8% of populationIraq: 1.9% of land area, 99.5% of populationIceland: 0.529% of land area, 1.21% of populationIsrael: 6.47% of land area, 14.7% of populationItaly: 32.9% of land area, 4.42% of populationJamaica: 56.2% of land area, 0.016% of populationJordan: 1.1% of land area, 97.1% of populationJapan: 68.4% of land area, 0.17% of populationKazakhstan: 1.31% of land area, 77.9% of populationKenya: 6.22% of land area, 10.9% of populationKyrgyz Republic: 7.14% of land area, 91.7% of populationCambodia: 43.1% of land area, 2.04% of populationKiribati: 1.46% of land area, 0.0854% of populationKorea, Rep.: 64.1% of land area, 0.31% of populationKuwait: 0.351% of land area, 80.2% of populationLao PDR: 71.5% of land area, 0.0222% of populationLebanon: 14.2% of land area, 67.8% of populationLiberia: 78.1% of land area, 12.7% of populationLibya: 0.123% of land area, 99% of populationSt. Lucia: 34% of land area, 0.0949% of populationSri Lanka: 34% of land area, 10.2% of populationLesotho: 1.14% of land area, 0.218% of populationLithuania: 35.2% of land area, 0.0892% of populationLuxembourg: 34.5% of land area, 1.83% of populationLatvia: 55% of land area, 0.67% of populationMorocco: 12.9% of land area, 99.7% of populationMoldova: 11.7% of land area, 0.181% of populationMadagascar: 21.3% of land area, 1.16% of populationMaldives: 2.75% of land area, 94.1% of populationMexico: 33.6% of land area, 0.00629% of populationNorth Macedonia: 39.7% of land area, 34.7% of populationMali: 10.9% of land area, 94.1% of populationMalta: 1.44% of land area, 3.64% of populationMyanmar: 42.4% of land area, 3.35% of populationMontenegro: 61.5% of land area, 21.3% of populationMongolia: 9.09% of land area, 3.53% of populationMozambique: 45.8% of land area, 19.4% of populationMauritania: 0.288% of land area, 99.2% of populationMauritius: 19.5% of land area, 17.5% of populationMalawi: 22.4% of land area, 11.6% of populationMalaysia: 57.7% of land area, 64.1% of populationNamibia: 7.81% of land area, 0.119% of populationNiger: 0.823% of land area, 98.1% of populationNigeria: 23.2% of land area, 56.1% of populationNicaragua: 25.8% of land area, 0.00459% of populationNetherlands: 11.1% of land area, 5.5% of populationNorway: 33.5% of land area, 4.11% of populationNepal: 41.6% of land area, 5.08% of populationNew Zealand: 37.8% of land area, 1.36% of populationOman: 0.00762% of land area, 81.8% of populationPakistan: 4.67% of land area, 96.5% of populationPanama: 56.3% of land area, 0.0531% of populationPeru: 56.1% of land area, 0.0216% of populationPhilippines: 24.5% of land area, 6.46% of populationPapua New Guinea: 79% of land area, 0.0748% of populationPoland: 31.1% of land area, 0.00732% of populationPuerto Rico (US): 56.1% of land area, 0.108% of populationPortugal: 36.2% of land area, 0.409% of populationParaguay: 38.5% of land area, 0.0113% of populationWest Bank and Gaza: 1.68% of land area, 99% of populationQatar: 0% of land area, 75.9% of populationRomania: 30.1% of land area, 0.356% of populationRussian Federation: 49.8% of land area, 8.19% of populationRwanda: 11.3% of land area, 1.81% of populationSaudi Arabia: 0.454% of land area, 92.7% of populationSudan: 9.55% of land area, 98.9% of populationSenegal: 41.3% of land area, 97.6% of populationSingapore: 20.9% of land area, 16.1% of populationSolomon Islands: 90.1% of land area, 0.34% of populationSierra Leone: 34.3% of land area, 80.1% of populationEl Salvador: 27.5% of land area, 0.0035% of populationSomalia, Fed. Rep.: 9.17% of land area, 99.8% of populationSerbia: 32.4% of land area, 4.42% of populationSao Tome and Principe: 52.1% of land area, 0.0915% of populationSuriname: 94.4% of land area, 13.1% of populationSlovak Republic: 40.1% of land area, 0.0548% of populationSlovenia: 61.2% of land area, 1.61% of populationSweden: 68.7% of land area, 8.1% of populationEswatini: 29.1% of land area, 0.136% of populationSeychelles: 73.3% of land area, 0.893% of populationSyrian Arab Republic: 2.84% of land area, 94.2% of populationChad: 3.16% of land area, 56.4% of populationTogo: 22.1% of land area, 16.1% of populationThailand: 38.7% of land area, 4.51% of populationTajikistan: 3.08% of land area, 98.9% of populationTurkmenistan: 8.78% of land area, 94.3% of populationTimor-Leste: 61.7% of land area, 0.257% of populationTonga: 12.4% of land area, 0.0605% of populationTrinidad and Tobago: 44.2% of land area, 5.46% of populationTunisia: 4.55% of land area, 99.3% of populationTurkiye: 29.5% of land area, 97.1% of populationTanzania: 50.1% of land area, 29.9% of populationUganda: 11% of land area, 11.4% of populationUkraine: 16.8% of land area, 0.568% of populationUruguay: 12% of land area, 0.0893% of populationUnited States: 33.9% of land area, 1.19% of populationUzbekistan: 8.55% of land area, 95.6% of populationSt. Vincent and the Grenadines: 73.2% of land area, 0.107% of populationVirgin Islands (U.S.): 58.2% of land area, 0.105% of populationViet Nam: 47.4% of land area, 0.0721% of populationVanuatu: 36.3% of land area, 0.0193% of populationSamoa: 57.6% of land area, 0.0253% of populationSouth Africa: 14% of land area, 1.6% of populationZambia: 59.5% of land area, 0.511% of populationZimbabwe: 44.7% of land area, 0.529% of populationBRNCUWDJIFSMGNBISLLBYLSOMRTSENSLBSUR

best-fit line line after adjusting

Four ways to measure the link

MethodrpCountries
Standard (Pearson), not adjusted-0.4789.7e-12181
By rank (Spearman), not adjusted-0.4702.5e-11181
Standard (Pearson), adjusted for national income-0.4791.1e-11181
By rank (Spearman), adjusted for national income-0.4664.2e-11181

The rank version uses only each country’s place in line, from lowest to highest, so a few extreme countries count for less. The adjusted and unadjusted versions use the same 181 countries: those that report both measures and GDP per person. So the gap between them comes from the adjustment, not from a change in which countries are counted. Drop in the size of r after adjusting: -0.000 (a minus sign means it grew).

How solid is it?

Leaving out one country at a time, r ranges from -0.504 (without BRN) to -0.471 (without SAU). The bar above shows that range on a scale from −1 to +1, with the solid line at the full result. The single country that moves r most: BRN (-0.025).

Fragile: this link may not hold up.
  • direction is not consistent across regions

Within each region

Countries are not separate, unrelated cases, and neighbors share a lot. A link that holds inside each region is far more believable than one that shows up only when comparing regions.

nr
East Asia & Pacific25+0.21
Europe & Central Asia48-0.31
Latin America & Caribbean32+0.46
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan22-0.27
Sub-Saharan Africa46-0.30

By income third

If the link shows up only in the richest third of countries, it is a feature of rich countries, not a general pattern.

nr
Poorest third61-0.55
Middle third60-0.49
Richest third60-0.35

By largest religious group

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
Christians112-0.02
Muslims49-0.40

By last european coloniser

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
France25-0.70
Never a European colony21-0.68
Spain20-0.40
United Kingdom58-0.48

Without outliers (countries far outside the middle half of countries on either measure, by more than one and a half times the width of that middle half): r = -0.479 after dropping 0 countries.

Two series, one country

Both measures over the years for one country you pick. The two charts are stacked so they share only the years along the bottom.

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Over time, within countries

Everything above compares countries with each other at one moment. This section compares each country only with itself over 0years. So a link here can’t come from anything about a country that stays the same, such as its history, geography, institutions or culture.

Not enough history inside each country to look at this over time. That needs countries measured for several years in a row, and at least one of these measures is measured too rarely.

The data


% of land area
% of population		Years
Suriname SUR94.4%13.1%2023, 2020
Micronesia, Fed. Sts. FSM92.2%0.00196%2023, 2020
Gabon GAB91.2%8.64%2023, 2020
Solomon Islands SLB90.1%0.34%2023, 2020
Guyana GUY87.1%6.5%2023, 2020
Equatorial Guinea GNQ86.4%4.05%2023, 2020
Papua New Guinea PNG79%0.0748%2023, 2020
Liberia LBR78.1%12.7%2023, 2020
Finland FIN73.7%1.61%2023, 2020
Seychelles SYC73.3%0.893%2023, 2020
St. Vincent and the Grenadines VCT73.2%0.107%2023, 2020
Brunei Darussalam BRN72.1%82.2%2023, 2020
Bhutan BTN71.6%0.222%2023, 2020
Lao PDR LAO71.5%0.0222%2023, 2020
Guinea-Bissau GNB69.5%56%2023, 2020

World Bank, World Development Indicators
Pew Research Center, Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2020. Pew Research Center bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations of the data presented here.
One of these measures is published under a licence that forbids changes. Values are shown exactly as published and must not be republished in a changed or rescaled form.

Sources

Forest area

Forest area (% of land area)

Food and Agriculture Organization · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

Muslim share

Share of the population identifying as Muslim

Pew Research Center · via Our World in Data · Pew Research Center terms of use, excerpts with attribution · updated decennial · comparable from 2010 only

The second largest religion. The three religion shares are parts of one total. So for any pair of them, more of one means less of the others. They are built from the same numbers, so they are bound to match, and the site flags this. Hindu, Buddhist, folk and other religions are not included, so that what is taken from Pew's dataset stays a small excerpt of it. No "better" direction is set.

How this was computed

Data used: most recent value in 2010-2025; values come from 2020–2023. To adjust for income, each measure is first predicted from GDP per person (in percentage terms, on a log scale) with a straight-line fit. Only what is left over is then compared. This is called a partial correlation. The line is drawn the standard way (ordinary least squares), which picks the line that comes closest to all the countries at once. The error margins allow for countries in the same region resembling each other, using 7 World Bank regions. The q-value corrects for testing all 12,497 pairs at once, using the Benjamini–Hochberg method. Underlying data last updated DYB 2024. How the country data works · explore Forest area and Muslim share

This page shows that two measures go together. It does not show that Forest area changes Muslim share, or the reverse. These figures also describe countries, not individual people. See the ecological fallacy.

More links with Forest area or Muslim share