Annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual number of wildfires was 65,851 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo is 65,851 wildfires, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 16.8% on the previous year and down 50.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 132,816 wildfires in 2016 and was at its lowest, 65,851 wildfires, in 2026.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st of 248 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 103,952 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 120,759 wildfires | +16.2% |
| 2014 | 111,929 wildfires | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 122,642 wildfires | +9.6% |
| 2016 | 132,816 wildfires | +8.3% |
| 2017 | 119,033 wildfires | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 113,057 wildfires | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 116,326 wildfires | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 123,309 wildfires | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 118,372 wildfires | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 123,481 wildfires | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 112,158 wildfires | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 94,181 wildfires | -16.0% |
| 2025 | 79,186 wildfires | -15.9% |
| 2026 | 65,851 wildfires | -16.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 65,851 wildfires is above the median for low income countries, which is 754 wildfires, 87.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 65,851 wildfires is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,344 wildfires, 49.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 117,564 wildfires | 103,952 wildfires | 132,816 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 102,363 wildfires | 65,851 wildfires | 123,481 wildfires | 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 number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual number of wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo was 65,851 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 132,816 wildfires in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,851 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.4%. 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 number of wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.