Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Forest area was 139.19 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
139.19 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
6th
of 235 countries
All-time high
160.54 million hectares
in 1990
All-time low
139.19 million hectares
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 139.19 million hectares. 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, forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 160.54 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 139.19 million hectares, in 2025.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th of 235 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 160.54 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 159.87 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 159.19 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 158.51 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 157.84 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 157.16 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 156.49 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 155.81 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 155.14 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 154.47 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 153.79 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 153.12 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 152.44 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 151.76 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 151.09 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 150.41 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 149.74 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 149.06 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 148.39 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 147.72 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 147.04 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 146.04 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 145.03 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 144.03 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 143.02 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 142.02 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 141.74 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 141.45 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 141.17 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 140.89 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 140.60 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 140.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 140.04 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 139.75 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 139.47 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 139.19 million hectares | -0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 139.19 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.24 million hectares, 43.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 139.19 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million hectares, 31.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 157.50 million hectares | 154.47 million hectares | 160.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 150.75 million hectares | 147.72 million hectares | 153.79 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 143.24 million hectares | 140.89 million hectares | 147.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 139.90 million hectares | 139.19 million hectares | 140.60 million hectares | 6 |
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 forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Forest area in Democratic Republic of Congo was 139.19 million hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 160.54 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 139.19 million hectares in 2025.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for forest area?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area. 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
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems.