Imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Imported deforestation was 2,321 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 2,321 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.9% on the previous year and down 83.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 18,218 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2,321 hectares, in 2023.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 94th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,942 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 3,598 hectares | +22.3% |
| 2007 | 7,098 hectares | +97.2% |
| 2008 | 9,040 hectares | +27.4% |
| 2009 | 7,937 hectares | -12.2% |
| 2010 | 11,926 hectares | +50.3% |
| 2011 | 15,888 hectares | +33.2% |
| 2012 | 12,256 hectares | -22.9% |
| 2013 | 13,762 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2014 | 10,628 hectares | -22.8% |
| 2015 | 8,309 hectares | -21.8% |
| 2016 | 12,344 hectares | +48.6% |
| 2017 | 13,028 hectares | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 18,218 hectares | +39.8% |
| 2019 | 17,481 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 12,056 hectares | -31.0% |
| 2021 | 12,177 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 2,760 hectares | -77.3% |
| 2023 | 2,321 hectares | -15.9% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 2,321 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,701 hectares, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 2,321 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,888 hectares, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,123 hectares | 2,942 hectares | 9,040 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 13,384 hectares | 8,309 hectares | 18,218 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,328 hectares | 2,321 hectares | 12,177 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 91 Bahrain 2,387 hectares compare
- 92 Mozambique 2,373 hectares compare
- 93 Zambia 2,331 hectares compare
- 95 Tajikistan 2,320 hectares compare
- 96 Costa Rica 2,303 hectares compare
- 97 Rwanda 2,273 hectares 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 imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Imported deforestation in Democratic Republic of Congo was 2,321 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 18,218 hectares in 2018.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,321 hectares in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for imported deforestation?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 94th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Imported deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imported deforestation is the amount of deforestation in other countries that is driven by the production of food and forestry products that are imported. This is measured in hectares.