Share of land covered by forest in Congo
Congo: Share of land covered by forest was 64.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
64.0%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
27th
of 216 countries
All-time high
65.2%
in 1990
All-time low
63.8%
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Share of land covered by forest in 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
Congo recorded 64.0% for share of land covered by forest in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Congo peaked at 65.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 63.8%, in 2020.
Congo ranks 27th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of land covered by forest in Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 65.2% | — |
| 1991 | 65.1% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 65.1% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 65.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 65.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 65.0% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 65.0% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 64.9% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 64.9% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 64.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 64.8% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 64.8% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 64.7% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 64.7% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 64.7% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 64.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 64.6% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 64.6% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 64.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 64.5% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 64.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 64.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 64.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 64.3% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 64.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 64.2% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 64.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 64.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 63.9% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 63.8% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 63.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 63.9% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 63.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 64.0% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 64.0% | +0.1% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 64.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.2%, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 64.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.0%, 2.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.0% | 64.9% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.7% | 64.5% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.2% | 63.9% | 64.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.9% | 63.8% | 64.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More environment data for Congo
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.96 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.202 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.13 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8453 % 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 -0.4756 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Congo?
- Share of land covered by forest in Congo was 64.0% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.8% in 2020.
- How does Congo rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Congo ranks 27th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.