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
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2023
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.
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | square meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 15.16 square meters | — |
| 2006 | 20.41 square meters | +34.6% |
| 2007 | 19.2 square meters | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 21.93 square meters | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 27.94 square meters | +27.4% |
| 2010 | 38.07 square meters | +36.3% |
| 2011 | 36.79 square meters | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 33.03 square meters | -10.2% |
| 2013 | 38.39 square meters | +16.2% |
| 2014 | 33.79 square meters | -12.0% |
| 2015 | 33.52 square meters | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 38.11 square meters | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 28.98 square meters | -24.0% |
| 2018 | 29.05 square meters | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 26.41 square meters | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 28.34 square meters | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 26.47 square meters | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 9.54 square meters | -63.9% |
| 2023 | 14.64 square meters | +53.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.64 square meters is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.45 square meters, 6.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.64 square meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.39 square meters, 4.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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
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.