Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Tree cover loss from wildfires was 64,822 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 64,822 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 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 573.08, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,025 | — |
| 2002 | 1,171 | +14.3% |
| 2003 | 573.08 | -51.1% |
| 2004 | 1,649 | +187.7% |
| 2005 | 1,088 | -34.0% |
| 2006 | 809.07 | -25.7% |
| 2007 | 1,857 | +129.5% |
| 2008 | 720.53 | -61.2% |
| 2009 | 1,066 | +48.0% |
| 2010 | 2,260 | +111.9% |
| 2011 | 2,758 | +22.1% |
| 2012 | 2,872 | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 7,263 | +152.9% |
| 2014 | 4,436 | -38.9% |
| 2015 | 3,472 | -21.7% |
| 2016 | 25,376 | +630.8% |
| 2017 | 8,641 | -65.9% |
| 2018 | 13,864 | +60.4% |
| 2019 | 6,800 | -51.0% |
| 2020 | 21,721 | +219.4% |
| 2021 | 19,705 | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 14,708 | -25.4% |
| 2023 | 12,324 | -16.2% |
| 2024 | 64,822 | +426.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64,822 is above the median for low income countries, which is 353.64, 183.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64,822 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 169.25, 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 | 25,376 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,107 | 573.08 | 1,857 | 9 |
| 2010s | 7,774 | 2,260 | 25,376 | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,656 | 12,324 | 64,822 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Crop Residues 483.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 57.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.335 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (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 in 2024, according to 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 in 2024.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss from wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 573.08 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss from wildfires. 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).