Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Forest area was 54.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 54.2% for forest area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 66.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 54.2%, in 2023.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 41st of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 66.4% | — |
| 1991 | 66.1% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 65.8% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 65.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 65.3% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 65.0% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 64.7% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 64.4% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 64.1% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 63.8% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 63.5% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 63.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 62.9% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 62.6% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 62.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 62.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 61.7% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 61.4% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 61.1% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 60.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 60.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 60.0% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 59.0% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 58.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 58.1% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 57.6% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 57.1% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 56.6% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 56.1% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 55.6% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 55.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 54.7% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 54.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.1% | 63.8% | 66.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.1% | 60.8% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.3% | 56.1% | 60.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.9% | 54.2% | 55.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0893 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo was 54.2% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 66.4% in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.2% in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for forest area?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 41st out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Forest area (% of land area) is the share of total land area that is under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.