Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Congo
Congo: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 4.53 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Congo, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Congo recorded 4.53 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 53.1% on the previous year and up 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Congo peaked at 4.53 million hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.73 million hectares, in 2002.
Congo ranks 20th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.19 million hectares | 1.73 million hectares | 3.88 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.61 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 3.79 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.53 million hectares | 2.94 million hectares | 4.53 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More reference data data for Congo
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6423 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.8729 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7385 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6531 °C (2025)
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- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Congo?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Congo was 4.53 million hectares in 2024, 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 4.53 million hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.73 million hectares in 2002.
- How does Congo rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Congo ranks 20th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.