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

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

Land use over the long-term over time

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

How they compare

Zambia 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 Zambia'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 Zambia ranks 35th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Democratic Republic of Congo averaged higher in 14 and Zambia in 26.

Head to head by decade

Decade Democratic Republic of Congo Zambia Difference Ahead
1000s 3.37 million hectares 1.49 million hectares 1.88 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1100s 3.93 million hectares 1.79 million hectares 2.14 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1200s 4.49 million hectares 2.09 million hectares 2.40 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1300s 5.05 million hectares 2.39 million hectares 2.66 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1400s 5.89 million hectares 2.69 million hectares 3.21 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1500s 6.74 million hectares 2.99 million hectares 3.75 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1600s 7.16 million hectares 3.24 million hectares 3.92 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1700s 7.58 million hectares 5.91 million hectares 1.67 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1710s 7.70 million hectares 6.52 million hectares 1.18 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1720s 7.82 million hectares 7.13 million hectares 693,990 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1730s 7.94 million hectares 7.74 million hectares 207,860 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1740s 8.07 million hectares 8.35 million hectares 278,280 hectares Zambia
1750s 8.19 million hectares 8.95 million hectares 764,410 hectares Zambia
1760s 8.31 million hectares 9.37 million hectares 1.06 million hectares Zambia
1770s 8.43 million hectares 9.77 million hectares 1.34 million hectares Zambia
1780s 8.55 million hectares 10.16 million hectares 1.60 million hectares Zambia
1790s 8.68 million hectares 10.52 million hectares 1.84 million hectares Zambia
1800s 8.80 million hectares 10.86 million hectares 2.06 million hectares Zambia
1810s 8.92 million hectares 11.19 million hectares 2.27 million hectares Zambia
1820s 9.04 million hectares 11.50 million hectares 2.46 million hectares Zambia
1830s 9.16 million hectares 11.79 million hectares 2.63 million hectares Zambia
1840s 9.29 million hectares 12.07 million hectares 2.78 million hectares Zambia
1850s 9.41 million hectares 12.33 million hectares 2.92 million hectares Zambia
1860s 9.46 million hectares 12.21 million hectares 2.75 million hectares Zambia
1870s 10.08 million hectares 12.06 million hectares 1.97 million hectares Zambia
1880s 10.88 million hectares 11.95 million hectares 1.07 million hectares Zambia
1890s 11.38 million hectares 12.09 million hectares 702,400 hectares Zambia
1900s 10.81 million hectares 11.73 million hectares 920,000 hectares Zambia
1910s 9.78 million hectares 10.83 million hectares 1.05 million hectares Zambia
1920s 9.22 million hectares 10.20 million hectares 983,520 hectares Zambia
1930s 10.51 million hectares 11.61 million hectares 1.10 million hectares Zambia
1940s 11.87 million hectares 13.08 million hectares 1.21 million hectares Zambia
1950s 15.37 million hectares 15.80 million hectares 425,620 hectares Zambia
1960s 18.03 million hectares 16.87 million hectares 1.17 million hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1970s 18.10 million hectares 17.28 million hectares 819,000 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1980s 18.10 million hectares 17.68 million hectares 421,000 hectares Democratic Republic of Congo
1990s 18.10 million hectares 18.69 million hectares 588,000 hectares Zambia
2000s 18.13 million hectares 19.95 million hectares 1.81 million hectares Zambia
2010s 18.20 million hectares 20.00 million hectares 1.80 million hectares Zambia
2020s 18.20 million hectares 20.00 million hectares 1.80 million hectares Zambia

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 Zambia?
Zambia, 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 Zambia?
1.80 million hectares, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia rank globally for land use over the long-term?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 38th and Zambia 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.