Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo
Congo: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 1.93 million hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo stood at 1.93 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.9% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo peaked at 2.45 million hectares in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million hectares, in 2002.
Congo ranks 18th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.20 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1.99 million hectares | +66.2% |
| 2004 | 2.06 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 2.34 million hectares | +13.6% |
| 2006 | 2.45 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 2.06 million hectares | -16.0% |
| 2008 | 1.97 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 1.97 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 2.22 million hectares | +12.8% |
| 2011 | 2.21 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 2.13 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 2.06 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 1.83 million hectares | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 2.07 million hectares | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 1.97 million hectares | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 2.07 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 2.02 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 2.00 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 2.11 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 1.68 million hectares | -20.1% |
| 2022 | 2.37 million hectares | +40.5% |
| 2023 | 1.76 million hectares | -25.7% |
| 2024 | 2.33 million hectares | +32.2% |
| 2025 | 1.93 million hectares | -16.9% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 1.93 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 39.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 1.93 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +66.2% | 1.20 million hectares | 1.99 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.00 million hectares | 1.20 million hectares | 2.45 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.06 million hectares | 1.83 million hectares | 2.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.03 million hectares | 1.68 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 15 Namibia 2.15 million hectares compare
- 16 South Africa 2.13 million hectares compare
- 17 Mozambique 2.04 million hectares compare
- 19 Ghana 1.75 million hectares compare
- 20 Venezuela 1.69 million hectares compare
- 21 Central African Republic 1.62 million hectares compare
More reference data data for Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1866 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0031 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0668 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0724 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9126 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.017 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo was 1.93 million hectares in 2025, 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.45 million hectares in 2006.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million hectares in 2002.
- How does Congo rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Congo ranks 18th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 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.