Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Tree cover loss from wildfires was 64,822 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 64,822 hectares for tree cover loss from wildfires in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 426.0% on the previous year and up 1,361.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 64,822 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 573.08 hectares, in 2003.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 10th out of 152 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,025 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 1,171 hectares | +14.3% |
| 2003 | 573.08 hectares | -51.1% |
| 2004 | 1,649 hectares | +187.7% |
| 2005 | 1,088 hectares | -34.0% |
| 2006 | 809.07 hectares | -25.7% |
| 2007 | 1,857 hectares | +129.5% |
| 2008 | 720.53 hectares | -61.2% |
| 2009 | 1,066 hectares | +48.0% |
| 2010 | 2,260 hectares | +111.9% |
| 2011 | 2,758 hectares | +22.1% |
| 2012 | 2,872 hectares | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 7,263 hectares | +152.9% |
| 2014 | 4,436 hectares | -38.9% |
| 2015 | 3,472 hectares | -21.7% |
| 2016 | 25,376 hectares | +630.8% |
| 2017 | 8,641 hectares | -65.9% |
| 2018 | 13,864 hectares | +60.4% |
| 2019 | 6,800 hectares | -51.0% |
| 2020 | 21,721 hectares | +219.4% |
| 2021 | 19,705 hectares | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 14,708 hectares | -25.4% |
| 2023 | 12,324 hectares | -16.2% |
| 2024 | 64,822 hectares | +426.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64,822 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 353.64 hectares, 183.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64,822 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 169.25 hectares, 383.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +630.8% | 3,472 hectares | 25,376 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,107 hectares | 573.08 hectares | 1,857 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 7,774 hectares | 2,260 hectares | 25,376 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,656 hectares | 12,324 hectares | 64,822 hectares | 5 |
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 tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo was 64,822 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss from wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 64,822 hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss from wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 573.08 hectares in 2003.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for tree cover loss from wildfires?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 10th out of 152 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss from wildfires rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,361.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 from wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Tree cover loss due to fire with no visible human conversion or agricultural activity afterward. Fires may be started by natural causes (e.g. lightning) or may be related to human activities (accidental or deliberate).