Agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 191,481 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
191,481 hectares
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
7th
of 187 countries
All-time high
191,481 hectares
in 2024
All-time low
70,512 hectares
in 2008
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 191,481 hectares. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 191,481 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70,512 hectares, in 2008.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 75,482 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 89,332 hectares | +18.3% |
| 2003 | 73,770 hectares | -17.4% |
| 2004 | 72,281 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 88,598 hectares | +22.6% |
| 2006 | 82,624 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 95,648 hectares | +15.8% |
| 2008 | 70,512 hectares | -26.3% |
| 2009 | 128,321 hectares | +82.0% |
| 2010 | 154,806 hectares | +20.6% |
| 2011 | 106,280 hectares | -31.3% |
| 2012 | 158,851 hectares | +49.5% |
| 2013 | 110,510 hectares | -30.4% |
| 2014 | 174,098 hectares | +57.5% |
| 2015 | 111,883 hectares | -35.7% |
| 2016 | 154,604 hectares | +38.2% |
| 2017 | 180,988 hectares | +17.1% |
| 2018 | 169,888 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 145,368 hectares | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 181,310 hectares | +24.7% |
| 2021 | 173,906 hectares | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 154,762 hectares | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 185,503 hectares | +19.9% |
| 2024 | 191,481 hectares | +3.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 191,481 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 2,362 hectares, 81.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 191,481 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723 hectares, 51.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 86,285 hectares | 70,512 hectares | 128,321 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 146,728 hectares | 106,280 hectares | 180,988 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 177,392 hectares | 154,762 hectares | 191,481 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.338 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo was 191,481 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 191,481 hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 70,512 hectares in 2008.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture-driven deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Long-term, permanent tree cover loss for small- to large-scale agriculture.