Australia vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Australia
14.92 million hectares
in 2026
Democratic Republic of Congo
21.93 million hectares
in 2026
Australia rank
3rd
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
1st
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Australia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
How they compare
Democratic Republic of Congo currently reports 21.93 million hectares against 14.92 million hectares in Australia, a difference of 7.01 million hectares.
That makes Democratic Republic of Congo's figure about 1.5 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 3rd and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st of 248 countries.
Democratic Republic of Congo has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Democratic Republic of Congo | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 36.92 million hectares | 44.45 million hectares | 7.53 million hectares | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| 2020s | 29.33 million hectares | 37.76 million hectares | 8.43 million hectares | Democratic Republic of Congo |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Australia or Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Democratic Republic of Congo, at 21.93 million hectares against 14.92 million hectares in Australia as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Australia and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 7.01 million hectares, with Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Australia and Democratic Republic of Congo rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Australia ranks 3rd and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.