Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 1.81 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 1.81 million hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 40.3% on the previous year and up 34.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 2.34 million hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.19 million hectares, in 2019.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 22nd out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.94 million hectares | 1.49 million hectares | 2.34 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.47 million hectares | 1.19 million hectares | 2.09 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.42 million hectares | 1.28 million hectares | 1.81 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.17 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6722 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.85 2010 = 100 (2016)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Democratic Republic of Congo was 1.81 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.34 million hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.19 million hectares in 2019.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. 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 Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.