Which has higher share of global forest area, China or Democratic Republic of Congo?

China, at 5.5% against 3.4% in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2025.

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.

Where does this data come from?

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global forest area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

China vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of global forest area

China

5.5%

in 2025

Democratic Republic of Congo

3.4%

in 2025

China rank

5th

Democratic Republic of Congo rank

6th

Share of global forest area over time

China
Democratic Republic of Congo

How they compare

China currently reports 5.5% against 3.4% in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 2.1%.

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	3.9%	3.7%	0.2%	China
2000s	4.4%	3.6%	0.9%	China
2010s	5.0%	3.4%	1.6%	China
2020s	5.4%	3.4%	2.0%	China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of global forest area, China or Democratic Republic of Congo?: China, at 5.5% against 3.4% in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2025.
What is the difference in share of global forest area between China and Democratic Republic of Congo?: 2.1%, 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 share of global 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global forest area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of global forest area. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/share-global-forest/china/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Share of global forest area
Unit: %
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 235 places, 8,460 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Share of global forest area represents the proportion of a country's forest area relative to the total global forest area.