This paper demonstrates the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies at the global, regional and country levels. It presents the status and trends of the forestry sector’s contribution (total employment, value-added and export earnings) and analyses the driving forces behind these trends. The study gives a reasonable estimation of the general trends in the sector at the regional and global level, with some estimations at the level of individual countries. This is the second update of FAO’s original report on the topic.