Brazil vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual deforestation
Brazil
3.26 million hectares per year
in 2020
Democratic Republic of Congo
283,500 hectares per year
in 2020
Brazil rank
1st
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
4th
Annual deforestation over time
- Brazil
- Democratic Republic of Congo
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 3.26 million hectares per year against 283,500 hectares per year in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 2.97 million hectares per year.
That makes Brazil's figure about 11.5 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.
Across all 5 years both countries report, Brazil has been ahead every year.
Brazil ranks 1st and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th of 112 countries.
Brazil has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | Democratic Republic of Congo | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.43 million hectares per year | 675,420 hectares per year | 5.76 million hectares per year | Brazil |
| 2000s | 5.02 million hectares per year | 675,590 hectares per year | 4.35 million hectares per year | Brazil |
| 2010s | 2.27 million hectares per year | 645,155 hectares per year | 1.63 million hectares per year | Brazil |
| 2020s | 3.26 million hectares per year | 283,500 hectares per year | 2.97 million hectares per year | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual deforestation, Brazil or Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Brazil, at 3.26 million hectares per year against 283,500 hectares per year in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2020.
- What is the difference in annual deforestation between Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 2.97 million hectares per year, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo rank globally for annual deforestation?
- Brazil ranks 1st and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th of 112 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual deforestation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.