Deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Deforestation embedded in trade was -333,833 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded -333,833 hectares for deforestation embedded in trade in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at -14,738 hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, -333,833 hectares, in 2023.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 178th of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -14,738 hectares | — |
| 2006 | -50,226 hectares | +240.8% |
| 2007 | -120,066 hectares | +139.1% |
| 2008 | -155,393 hectares | +29.4% |
| 2009 | -214,498 hectares | +38.0% |
| 2010 | -281,917 hectares | +31.4% |
| 2011 | -276,390 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2012 | -318,620 hectares | +15.3% |
| 2013 | -281,232 hectares | -11.7% |
| 2014 | -268,760 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2015 | -196,496 hectares | -26.9% |
| 2016 | -167,008 hectares | -15.0% |
| 2017 | -186,172 hectares | +11.5% |
| 2018 | -130,029 hectares | -30.2% |
| 2019 | -141,054 hectares | +8.5% |
| 2020 | -120,319 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2021 | -169,271 hectares | +40.7% |
| 2022 | -327,707 hectares | +93.6% |
| 2023 | -333,833 hectares | +1.9% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's -333,833 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 987.78 hectares. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's -333,833 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 315.58 hectares. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | -240.8% | -14,738 hectares | -50,226 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -110,984 hectares | -214,498 hectares | -14,738 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | -224,768 hectares | -318,620 hectares | -130,029 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | -237,782 hectares | -333,833 hectares | -120,319 hectares | 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 deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Deforestation embedded in trade in Democratic Republic of Congo was -333,833 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was -14,738 hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was -333,833 hectares in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 178th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. 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 Deforestation embedded in trade. 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
Deforestation driven by imported goods minus exported goods from agriculture and forest plantations. Net importers of deforestation are countries who contribute to net deforestation in other countries – the deforestation that they cause in other countries is given as a positive value.