Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo
Congo: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 1,617 kmsq in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.
Analysis
In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo stood at 1,617 kmsq.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo peaked at 1,637 kmsq in 2019 and was at its lowest, 442.15 kmsq, in 2000.
Congo ranks 68th of 254 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo, year by year
| Year | kmsq | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 442.15 kmsq | — |
| 2001 | 715.1 kmsq | +61.7% |
| 2002 | 1,037 kmsq | +45.0% |
| 2003 | 1,334 kmsq | +28.7% |
| 2004 | 1,603 kmsq | +20.2% |
| 2005 | 1,588 kmsq | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 1,579 kmsq | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1,586 kmsq | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1,611 kmsq | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 1,584 kmsq | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 1,607 kmsq | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 1,614 kmsq | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1,609 kmsq | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1,603 kmsq | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 1,629 kmsq | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 1,626 kmsq | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,624 kmsq | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1,603 kmsq | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1,614 kmsq | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 1,637 kmsq | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1,632 kmsq | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 1,615 kmsq | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 1,617 kmsq | +0.1% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 1,617 kmsq is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 287.35 kmsq, 5.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Congo's 1,617 kmsq is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 302.83 kmsq, 5.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +61.7% | 442.15 kmsq | 715.1 kmsq |
| 2002 | +45.0% | 715.1 kmsq | 1,037 kmsq |
| 2003 | +28.7% | 1,037 kmsq | 1,334 kmsq |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,308 kmsq | 442.15 kmsq | 1,611 kmsq | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,617 kmsq | 1,603 kmsq | 1,637 kmsq | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,621 kmsq | 1,615 kmsq | 1,632 kmsq | 3 |
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 lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo?
- Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Congo was 1,617 kmsq in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1,637 kmsq in 2019.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 442.15 kmsq in 2000.
- How does Congo rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
- Congo ranks 68th out of 254 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).