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

Latest (2024)
64,822 hectares
Change on year
up 426.0%
World rank
10th
of 152 countries
All-time high
64,822 hectares
in 2024
All-time low
573.08 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Tree cover loss from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k2001201220242001: 1.0k hectares2002: 1.2k hectares2003: 573.1 hectares2004: 1.6k hectares2005: 1.1k hectares2006: 809.1 hectares2007: 1.9k hectares2008: 720.5 hectares2009: 1.1k hectares2010: 2.3k hectares2011: 2.8k hectares2012: 2.9k hectares2013: 7.3k hectares2014: 4.4k hectares2015: 3.5k hectares2016: 25.4k hectares2017: 8.6k hectares2018: 13.9k hectares2019: 6.8k hectares2020: 21.7k hectares2021: 19.7k hectares2022: 14.7k hectares2023: 12.3k hectares2024: 64.8k hectares

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 7 Mexico 122,734 hectares compare
  2. 8 Paraguay 93,184 hectares compare
  3. 9 Guyana 71,295 hectares compare
  4. 11 Indonesia 51,985 hectares compare
  5. 12 Guatemala 50,585 hectares compare
  6. 13 Venezuela 48,258 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 152 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 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.

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 from wildfires
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
152 places, 3,353 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

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).