Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Forest area was 1.23 million sq. km 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 sq. km.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 1.23 million sq. km. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of 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 1.51 million sq. km in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.23 million sq. km, in 2023.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.51 million sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 1.50 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 1.49 million sq. km | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 1.49 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.48 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.47 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 1.47 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 1.46 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 1.45 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.45 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.44 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 1.43 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.43 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.42 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.41 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.41 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.40 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1.39 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.39 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.38 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.37 million sq. km | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.36 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.35 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1.34 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.33 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.32 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 1.31 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 1.29 million sq. km | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 1.28 million sq. km | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.27 million sq. km | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.26 million sq. km | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 1.25 million sq. km | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 1.24 million sq. km | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 1.23 million sq. km | -0.9% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.23 million sq. km is above the median for low income countries, which is 39,804 sq. km, 30.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.23 million sq. km is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59,081 sq. km, 20.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.48 million sq. km | 1.45 million sq. km | 1.51 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.41 million sq. km | 1.38 million sq. km | 1.44 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.32 million sq. km | 1.27 million sq. km | 1.37 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.25 million sq. km | 1.23 million sq. km | 1.26 million sq. km | 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 1.23 million sq. km 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 1.51 million sq. km in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.23 million sq. km in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for forest area?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 214 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 (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Forest area is land 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.