Annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 21.93 million hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 21.93 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.0% on the previous year and down 56.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 50.64 million hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 21.93 million hectares, in 2026.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 1st out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 38.53 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 46.04 million hectares | +19.5% |
| 2014 | 41.62 million hectares | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 47.30 million hectares | +13.6% |
| 2016 | 50.64 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 45.47 million hectares | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 42.19 million hectares | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 43.80 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 47.18 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 41.51 million hectares | -12.0% |
| 2022 | 44.17 million hectares | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 41.07 million hectares | -7.0% |
| 2024 | 37.56 million hectares | -8.5% |
| 2025 | 30.91 million hectares | -17.7% |
| 2026 | 21.93 million hectares | -29.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 21.93 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 198,497 hectares, 110.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 21.93 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 506,694 hectares, 43.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 44.45 million hectares | 38.53 million hectares | 50.64 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 37.76 million hectares | 21.93 million hectares | 47.18 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
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 in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo was 21.93 million hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 50.64 million hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.93 million hectares in 2026.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.7%. 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.