Annual area burnt by wildfires in Congo
Congo: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 730,044 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in 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 Congo stood at 730,044 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 42.1% on the previous year and down 62.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Congo peaked at 2.02 million hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 730,044 hectares, in 2026.
Congo ranks 33rd of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.73 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 2.02 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.46 million hectares | 730,044 hectares | 1.87 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 30 South Africa 903,313 hectares compare
- 31 Colombia 902,699 hectares compare
- 32 Sierra Leone 731,535 hectares compare
- 34 Madagascar 729,185 hectares compare
- 35 Indonesia 655,590 hectares compare
- 36 Bolivia 587,344 hectares compare
More reference data data for Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.3226 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6423 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.8729 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7385 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6531 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 146.54 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Congo?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Congo was 730,044 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.02 million hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 730,044 hectares in 2026.
- How does Congo rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Congo ranks 33rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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. 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 07 August 2026.