Forest area km in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Forest area km was 139.19 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
139.19 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
6th
of 235 countries
All-time high
160.54 million
in 1990
All-time low
139.19 million
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area km in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area km in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 139.19 million. 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 km in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 160.54 million in 1990 and was at its lowest, 139.19 million, 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 km in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 160.54 million | — |
| 1991 | 159.87 million | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 159.19 million | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 158.51 million | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 157.84 million | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 157.16 million | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 156.49 million | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 155.81 million | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 155.14 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 154.47 million | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 153.79 million | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 153.12 million | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 152.44 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 151.76 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 151.09 million | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 150.41 million | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 149.74 million | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 149.06 million | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 148.39 million | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 147.72 million | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 147.04 million | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 146.04 million | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 145.03 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 144.03 million | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 143.02 million | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 142.02 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 141.74 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 141.45 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 141.17 million | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 140.89 million | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 140.60 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 140.32 million | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 140.04 million | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 139.75 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 139.47 million | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 139.19 million | -0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 139.19 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.24 million, 43.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 139.19 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million, 31.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 157.50 million | 154.47 million | 160.54 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 150.75 million | 147.72 million | 153.79 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 143.24 million | 140.89 million | 147.04 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 139.90 million | 139.19 million | 140.60 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0005 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.1613 hectares per person (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 8.03 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area km in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Forest area km in Democratic Republic of Congo was 139.19 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area km recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 160.54 million in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area km recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 139.19 million in 2025.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for forest area km?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area km 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area km. 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).