Tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Tree cover loss was 1.38 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tree cover loss 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 1.38 million hectares for tree cover loss in 2024.
The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 1.47 million hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 271,285 hectares, in 2003.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 6th out of 197 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 450,847 hectares | 271,285 hectares | 631,700 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.05 million hectares | 425,931 hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.29 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 1.38 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.17 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6722 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.85 2010 = 100 (2016)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo was 1.38 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1.47 million hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 271,285 hectares in 2003.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for tree cover loss?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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. 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
Tree cover loss driven by all causes.