Democratic Republic of Congo vs Ethiopia: Land use over the long-term

Democratic Republic of Congo
18.20 million hectares
in 2025
Ethiopia
20.00 million hectares
in 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
38th
Ethiopia rank
35th

Land use over the long-term over time

  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Ethiopia
05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M100015122025

How they compare

Ethiopia currently reports 20.00 million hectares against 18.20 million hectares in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 1.80 million hectares.

That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.1 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 38th and Ethiopia ranks 35th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Democratic Republic of Congo averaged higher in 20 and Ethiopia in 20.

Head to head by decade

Decade Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopia Difference Ahead
1000s 3.37 million hectares 915,936 hectares 2.45 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1100s 3.93 million hectares 1.05 million hectares 2.88 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1200s 4.49 million hectares 1.19 million hectares 3.30 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1300s 5.05 million hectares 1.40 million hectares 3.65 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1400s 5.89 million hectares 1.62 million hectares 4.28 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1500s 6.74 million hectares 1.83 million hectares 4.91 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1600s 7.16 million hectares 2.06 million hectares 5.10 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1700s 7.58 million hectares 2.29 million hectares 5.29 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1710s 7.70 million hectares 2.86 million hectares 4.84 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1720s 7.82 million hectares 3.43 million hectares 4.40 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1730s 7.94 million hectares 4.00 million hectares 3.95 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1740s 8.07 million hectares 4.57 million hectares 3.50 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1750s 8.19 million hectares 5.13 million hectares 3.05 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1760s 8.31 million hectares 5.70 million hectares 2.61 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1770s 8.43 million hectares 6.27 million hectares 2.16 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1780s 8.55 million hectares 6.84 million hectares 1.71 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1790s 8.68 million hectares 7.41 million hectares 1.27 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1800s 8.80 million hectares 7.98 million hectares 819,140 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1810s 8.92 million hectares 8.55 million hectares 372,120 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1820s 9.04 million hectares 9.12 million hectares 74,910 hectares Ethiopia
1830s 9.16 million hectares 9.69 million hectares 521,930 hectares Ethiopia
1840s 9.29 million hectares 10.26 million hectares 968,980 hectares Ethiopia
1850s 9.41 million hectares 10.82 million hectares 1.42 million hectares Ethiopia
1860s 9.46 million hectares 10.82 million hectares 1.36 million hectares Ethiopia
1870s 10.08 million hectares 10.82 million hectares 742,900 hectares Ethiopia
1880s 10.88 million hectares 10.93 million hectares 54,100 hectares Ethiopia
1890s 11.38 million hectares 11.04 million hectares 341,900 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1900s 10.81 million hectares 11.15 million hectares 341,500 hectares Ethiopia
1910s 9.78 million hectares 11.96 million hectares 2.18 million hectares Ethiopia
1920s 9.22 million hectares 12.70 million hectares 3.48 million hectares Ethiopia
1930s 10.51 million hectares 14.02 million hectares 3.51 million hectares Ethiopia
1940s 11.87 million hectares 15.19 million hectares 3.32 million hectares Ethiopia
1950s 15.37 million hectares 18.35 million hectares 2.97 million hectares Ethiopia
1960s 18.03 million hectares 20.84 million hectares 2.81 million hectares Ethiopia
1970s 18.10 million hectares 20.65 million hectares 2.55 million hectares Ethiopia
1980s 18.10 million hectares 20.28 million hectares 2.18 million hectares Ethiopia
1990s 18.10 million hectares 20.01 million hectares 1.91 million hectares Ethiopia
2000s 18.13 million hectares 20.00 million hectares 1.87 million hectares Ethiopia
2010s 18.20 million hectares 20.00 million hectares 1.80 million hectares Ethiopia
2020s 18.20 million hectares 20.00 million hectares 1.80 million hectares Ethiopia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land use over the long-term, Democratic Republic of Congo or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia, at 20.00 million hectares against 18.20 million hectares in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2025.
What is the difference in land use over the long-term between Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia?
1.80 million hectares, with Ethiopia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia rank globally for land use over the long-term?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 38th and Ethiopia ranks 35th of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Land use over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Land use over the long-term
Unit
hectares
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.