Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 31.02 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
31.02 million hectares
Change on year
down 8.7%
World rank
3rd
of 225 countries
All-time high
37.72 million hectares
in 2006
All-time low
30.96 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 31.02 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.7% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 37.72 million hectares in 2006 and was at its lowest, 30.96 million hectares, in 2023.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 3rd out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 31.27 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 35.11 million hectares | +12.3% |
| 2004 | 37.71 million hectares | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 37.02 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 37.72 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 32.36 million hectares | -14.2% |
| 2008 | 34.63 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 34.33 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 35.76 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 33.76 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 32.19 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 34.01 million hectares | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 32.25 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 34.06 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 33.84 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 34.60 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 31.94 million hectares | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 32.97 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 33.48 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 33.36 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 33.20 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 30.96 million hectares | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 33.96 million hectares | +9.7% |
| 2025 | 31.02 million hectares | -8.7% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 31.02 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 582,455 hectares, 53.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 31.02 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 25.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.02 million hectares | 31.27 million hectares | 37.72 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 33.54 million hectares | 31.94 million hectares | 35.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.66 million hectares | 30.96 million hectares | 33.96 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 1 Australia 50.56 million hectares compare
- 2 Angola 34.83 million hectares compare
- 4 South Sudan 26.58 million hectares compare
- 5 Zambia 22.77 million hectares compare
- 6 Mozambique 16.49 million hectares compare
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 220.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 3,924 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 3,062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0.2179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Democratic Republic of Congo was 31.02 million hectares in 2025, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 37.72 million hectares in 2006.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.96 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 3rd out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires by region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.