Agriculture-driven deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 191,481 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
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.
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 58.49 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.5353 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 3.5 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 7.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 17.49 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0166 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 42.16 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0035 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.024 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 13.45 Mt CO2e (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.