Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Tree cover loss by dominant driver was 3,294 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3,294 hectares
Change on year
up 24.4%
World rank
7th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5,973 hectares
in 2010
All-time low
1,788 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024

2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k2001201220242001: 2.0k hectares2002: 2.5k hectares2003: 1.8k hectares2004: 2.7k hectares2005: 3.9k hectares2006: 2.8k hectares2007: 4.2k hectares2008: 3.6k hectares2009: 5.6k hectares2010: 6.0k hectares2011: 3.4k hectares2012: 4.3k hectares2013: 4.1k hectares2014: 5.7k hectares2015: 2.5k hectares2016: 4.3k hectares2017: 4.6k hectares2018: 3.5k hectares2019: 2.5k hectares2020: 3.2k hectares2021: 3.1k hectares2022: 3.0k hectares2023: 2.6k hectares2024: 3.3k hectares

Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 3,294 hectares for tree cover loss by dominant driver in 2024.

The figure is up 24.4% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss by dominant driver in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 5,973 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1,788 hectares, in 2003.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 7th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3,230 hectares 1,788 hectares 5,551 hectares 9
2010s 4,093 hectares 2,511 hectares 5,973 hectares 10
2020s 3,039 hectares 2,647 hectares 3,294 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 4 Malaysia 4,931 hectares compare
  2. 5 Canada 4,707 hectares compare
  3. 6 Russia 4,217 hectares compare
  4. 8 Ghana 3,283 hectares compare
  5. 9 Indonesia 3,258 hectares compare
  6. 10 Nigeria 2,462 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss by dominant driver in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Tree cover loss by dominant driver in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3,294 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest tree cover loss by dominant driver recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 5,973 hectares in 2010.
What is the lowest tree cover loss by dominant driver recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 1,788 hectares in 2003.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for tree cover loss by dominant driver?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is tree cover loss by dominant driver rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss by dominant driver. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Tree cover loss by dominant driver
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 4,195 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Tree cover loss due to the expansion and intensification of roads, settlements, urban areas, or other built infrastructure.