Share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of land covered by forest was 61.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 61.4% for share of land covered by forest in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 70.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 61.4%, in 2025.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 32nd out of 216 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 70.8% | — |
| 1991 | 70.5% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 70.2% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 69.9% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 69.6% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 69.3% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 69.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 68.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 68.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 68.1% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 67.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 67.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 67.2% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 66.9% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 66.6% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 66.3% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 66.1% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 65.8% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 65.5% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 65.2% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 64.9% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 64.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 63.5% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 63.1% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 62.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 62.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 62.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 62.3% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 62.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 62.0% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 61.9% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 61.8% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 61.6% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 61.5% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 61.4% | -0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 11.9%, 5.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.0%, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.5% | 68.1% | 70.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.5% | 65.2% | 67.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.2% | 62.1% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.7% | 61.4% | 62.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 29 Panama 62.2% compare
- 30 Slovenia 61.8% compare
- 31 Montenegro 61.5% compare
- 33 Zambia 60.4% compare
- 34 United States Virgin Islands 59.0% compare
- 35 Costa Rica 58.6% compare
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 share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of land covered by forest in Democratic Republic of Congo was 61.4% in 2025, according to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land covered by forest recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 70.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.4% in 2025.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 32nd out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by forest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.