Forest area in Congo
Congo: Forest area was 21.85 million hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
21.85 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
31st
of 235 countries
All-time high
22.25 million hectares
in 1990
All-time low
21.78 million hectares
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in 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 Congo stood at 21.85 million hectares.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Congo peaked at 22.25 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.78 million hectares, in 2020.
Congo ranks 31st of 235 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Forest area in Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22.25 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 22.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 22.23 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 22.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 22.21 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 22.20 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 22.18 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 22.17 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 22.16 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 22.15 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 22.14 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 22.12 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 22.11 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 22.10 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 22.09 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 22.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 22.06 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 22.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 22.04 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 22.03 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 22.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 21.99 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 21.97 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 21.95 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 21.93 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 21.91 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 21.89 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 21.86 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 21.84 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 21.81 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 21.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 21.80 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 21.81 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 21.83 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 21.84 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 21.85 million hectares | +0.1% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 21.85 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.89 million hectares, 5.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 21.85 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million hectares, 5.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.20 million hectares | 22.15 million hectares | 22.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.08 million hectares | 22.03 million hectares | 22.14 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.92 million hectares | 21.81 million hectares | 22.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.82 million hectares | 21.78 million hectares | 21.85 million hectares | 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)
- 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Congo?
- Forest area in Congo was 21.85 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 22.25 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.78 million hectares in 2020.
- How does Congo rank for forest area?
- Congo ranks 31st out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area 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 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.