Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo

Congo: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 2.33 million hectares in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
2.33 million hectares
Change on year
up 32.2%
World rank
18th
of 225 countries
All-time high
2.45 million hectares
in 2006
All-time low
1.20 million hectares
in 2002
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo, 2002–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M2002201320242002: 1.2M hectares2003: 2.0M hectares2004: 2.1M hectares2005: 2.3M hectares2006: 2.5M hectares2007: 2.1M hectares2008: 2.0M hectares2009: 2.0M hectares2010: 2.2M hectares2011: 2.2M hectares2012: 2.1M hectares2013: 2.1M hectares2014: 1.8M hectares2015: 2.1M hectares2016: 2.0M hectares2017: 2.1M hectares2018: 2.0M hectares2019: 2.0M hectares2020: 2.1M hectares2021: 1.7M hectares2022: 2.4M hectares2023: 1.8M hectares2024: 2.3M hectares

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

Analysis

In 2024, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Congo stood at 2.33 million hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 32.2% on the previous year and up 27.1% 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%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 2.05 million hectares 1.68 million hectares 2.37 million hectares 5

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 15 Mozambique 2.81 million hectares compare
  2. 16 Tanzania 2.80 million hectares compare
  3. 17 Venezuela 2.66 million hectares compare
  4. 19 United States 2.24 million hectares compare
  5. 20 Botswana 2.16 million hectares compare
  6. 21 Russia 1.99 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

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 2.33 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 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 2024.
Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.1%. 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

Indicator
Area burned by wildfires 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 shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.