Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo

Congo: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 44,950 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
44,950 hectares
Change on year
up 658.7%
World rank
6th
of 225 countries
All-time high
44,950 hectares
in 2024
All-time low
5,925 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo, 2002–2024

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k2002201320242002: 6.1k hectares2003: 9.0k hectares2004: 21.9k hectares2005: 16.4k hectares2006: 10.3k hectares2007: 8.5k hectares2008: 16.5k hectares2009: 10.3k hectares2010: 15.9k hectares2011: 24.5k hectares2012: 11.7k hectares2013: 20.7k hectares2014: 6.2k hectares2015: 26.9k hectares2016: 14.6k hectares2017: 8.8k hectares2018: 14.4k hectares2019: 14.3k hectares2020: 13.6k hectares2021: 24.8k hectares2022: 22.0k hectares2023: 5.9k hectares2024: 44.9k hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2024, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo stood at 44,950 hectares. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 658.7% on the previous year and up 629.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo peaked at 44,950 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5,925 hectares, in 2023.

That places Congo 6th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12,386 hectares 6,118 hectares 21,917 hectares 8
2010s 15,786 hectares 6,161 hectares 26,918 hectares 10
2020s 22,251 hectares 5,925 hectares 44,950 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 3 Canada 66,179 hectares compare
  2. 4 Bolivia 57,528 hectares compare
  3. 5 Democratic Republic of Congo 47,912 hectares compare
  4. 7 South Sudan 36,299 hectares compare
  5. 8 Botswana 19,706 hectares compare
  6. 9 Russia 17,645 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo?
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Congo was 44,950 hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Congo?
The highest recorded value was 44,950 hectares in 2024.
What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 5,925 hectares in 2023.
How does Congo rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
Congo ranks 6th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 629.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Wildfire area burned by land cover type
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.