Consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Consumption-based deforestation per person was 14.64 square meters in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
14.64 square meters
Change on year
up 53.4%
World rank
20th
of 178 countries
All-time high
38.39 square meters
in 2013
All-time low
9.54 square meters
in 2022
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2023

102030402005201420232005: 15.2 square meters2006: 20.4 square meters2007: 19.2 square meters2008: 21.9 square meters2009: 27.9 square meters2010: 38.1 square meters2011: 36.8 square meters2012: 33 square meters2013: 38.4 square meters2014: 33.8 square meters2015: 33.5 square meters2016: 38.1 square meters2017: 29 square meters2018: 29 square meters2019: 26.4 square meters2020: 28.3 square meters2021: 26.5 square meters2022: 9.5 square meters2023: 14.6 square meters

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in square meters.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 14.64 square meters for consumption-based deforestation per person in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 53.4% on the previous year and down 61.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 38.39 square meters in 2013 and was at its lowest, 9.54 square meters, in 2022.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 20th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 20.93 square meters 15.16 square meters 27.94 square meters 5
2010s 33.61 square meters 26.41 square meters 38.39 square meters 10
2020s 19.75 square meters 9.54 square meters 28.34 square meters 4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 17 Guinea 16.14 square meters compare
  2. 18 Bahrain 15.21 square meters compare
  3. 19 Cameroon 15.02 square meters compare
  4. 21 Central African Republic 14.53 square meters compare
  5. 22 Angola 14.13 square meters compare
  6. 23 Chile 13.85 square meters compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo was 14.64 square meters in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 38.39 square meters in 2013.
What is the lowest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 9.54 square meters in 2022.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for consumption-based deforestation per person?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 20th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is consumption-based deforestation per person rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 61.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Consumption-based deforestation per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Consumption-based deforestation per person
Unit
square meters
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

Estimated average deforestation for agricultural and forestry products, per person. This is adjusted for trade, so it reflects deforestation caused by consumption, not domestic production.