China vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Forest area
China
227.15 million hectares
in 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo
139.19 million hectares
in 2025
China rank
5th
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
6th
Forest area over time
- China
- Democratic Republic of Congo
How they compare
China currently reports 227.15 million hectares against 139.19 million hectares in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 87.96 million hectares.
That makes China's figure about 1.6 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.
China ranks 5th and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th of 235 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Democratic Republic of Congo | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 166.08 million hectares | 157.50 million hectares | 8.58 million hectares | China |
| 2000s | 187.62 million hectares | 150.75 million hectares | 36.87 million hectares | China |
| 2010s | 209.15 million hectares | 143.24 million hectares | 65.91 million hectares | China |
| 2020s | 223.13 million hectares | 139.90 million hectares | 83.23 million hectares | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest area, China or Democratic Republic of Congo?
- China, at 227.15 million hectares against 139.19 million hectares in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forest area between China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 87.96 million hectares, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do China and Democratic Republic of Congo rank globally for forest area?
- China ranks 5th and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th of 235 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 Forest area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
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.