Democratic Republic of Congo vs South Sudan: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Democratic Republic of Congo
14.81 million hectares
in 2026
South Sudan
6.96 million hectares
in 2026
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
1st
South Sudan rank
4th
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- South Sudan
How they compare
Democratic Republic of Congo currently reports 14.81 million hectares against 6.96 million hectares in South Sudan, a difference of 7.85 million hectares.
That makes Democratic Republic of Congo's figure about 2.1 times South Sudan's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Democratic Republic of Congo has been ahead every year.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st and South Sudan ranks 4th 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 | Democratic Republic of Congo | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 44.45 million hectares | 21.06 million hectares | 23.39 million hectares | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| 2020s | 36.74 million hectares | 17.48 million hectares | 19.26 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, Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan?
- Democratic Republic of Congo, at 14.81 million hectares against 6.96 million hectares in South Sudan as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan?
- 7.85 million hectares, with Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st and South Sudan ranks 4th of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – 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 07 August 2026.