Tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Tree cover loss was 1.38 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.38 million hectares
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
6th
of 197 countries
All-time high
1.47 million hectares
in 2017
All-time low
271,285 hectares
in 2003
Years of data
24
2001–2024
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.
Tree cover loss in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 451,632 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 510,300 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2003 | 271,285 hectares | -46.8% |
| 2004 | 397,300 hectares | +46.5% |
| 2005 | 482,094 hectares | +21.3% |
| 2006 | 450,854 hectares | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 459,729 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 402,725 hectares | -12.4% |
| 2009 | 631,700 hectares | +56.9% |
| 2010 | 806,367 hectares | +27.7% |
| 2011 | 425,931 hectares | -47.2% |
| 2012 | 627,044 hectares | +47.2% |
| 2013 | 915,402 hectares | +46.0% |
| 2014 | 1.33 million hectares | +45.3% |
| 2015 | 926,325 hectares | -30.4% |
| 2016 | 1.38 million hectares | +48.9% |
| 2017 | 1.47 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 1.37 million hectares | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 1.22 million hectares | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 1.31 million hectares | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 1.25 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 1.22 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 1.32 million hectares | +8.6% |
| 2024 | 1.38 million hectares | +3.9% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.38 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 7,400 hectares, 185.9× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.38 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7,735 hectares, 177.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.
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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 driven by all causes.