Exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Exported deforestation was 336,154 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo is 336,154 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 336,154 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17,679 hectares, in 2005.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 17,679 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 53,824 hectares | +204.4% |
| 2007 | 127,164 hectares | +136.3% |
| 2008 | 164,433 hectares | +29.3% |
| 2009 | 222,435 hectares | +35.3% |
| 2010 | 293,844 hectares | +32.1% |
| 2011 | 292,277 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 330,875 hectares | +13.2% |
| 2013 | 294,994 hectares | -10.8% |
| 2014 | 279,388 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 204,805 hectares | -26.7% |
| 2016 | 179,353 hectares | -12.4% |
| 2017 | 199,201 hectares | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 148,247 hectares | -25.6% |
| 2019 | 158,535 hectares | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 132,374 hectares | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 181,448 hectares | +37.1% |
| 2022 | 330,468 hectares | +82.1% |
| 2023 | 336,154 hectares | +1.7% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 336,154 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 551.19 hectares, 609.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 336,154 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 578.35 hectares, 581.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 117,107 hectares | 17,679 hectares | 222,435 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 238,152 hectares | 148,247 hectares | 330,875 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 245,111 hectares | 132,374 hectares | 336,154 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 exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Exported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo was 336,154 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 336,154 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,679 hectares in 2005.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for exported deforestation?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exported deforestation. 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
Exported deforestation is the amount of annual deforestation that is driven by the production of food and forestry products that are exported for consumption in other countries. This is measured in hectares.