Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires was 44,861 in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
44,861
Change on year
down 43.3%
World rank
1st
of 248 countries
All-time high
132,816
in 2016
All-time low
44,861
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2012–2026

40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k120.0k140.0k2012201920262012: 104.0k2013: 120.8k2014: 111.9k2015: 122.6k2016: 132.8k2017: 119.0k2018: 113.1k2019: 116.3k2020: 123.3k2021: 118.4k2022: 123.5k2023: 112.2k2024: 94.2k2025: 79.2k2026: 44.9k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo is 44,861, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is down 43.3% on the previous year and down 66.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 132,816 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 44,861, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 117,564 103,952 132,816 8
2020s 99,364 44,861 123,481 7

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 2 Angola 28,133 compare
  2. 3 Australia 20,782 compare
  3. 4 South Sudan 14,468 compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Democratic Republic of Congo was 44,861 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 132,816 in 2016.
What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 44,861 in 2026.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed