Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 35,993 kmsq in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
35,993 kmsq
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
11th
of 252 countries
All-time high
35,993 kmsq
in 2022
All-time low
26,097 kmsq
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2000–2022

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k2000201120222000: 26.1k kmsq2001: 26.9k kmsq2002: 30.2k kmsq2003: 33.2k kmsq2004: 35.4k kmsq2005: 35.5k kmsq2006: 35.5k kmsq2007: 35.4k kmsq2008: 35.4k kmsq2009: 35.3k kmsq2010: 35.5k kmsq2011: 35.6k kmsq2012: 35.7k kmsq2013: 35.7k kmsq2014: 35.7k kmsq2015: 35.7k kmsq2016: 35.6k kmsq2017: 35.6k kmsq2018: 35.6k kmsq2019: 35.8k kmsq2020: 35.8k kmsq2021: 35.8k kmsq2022: 36.0k kmsq

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 35,993 kmsq for lakes and rivers permanent water area in 2022. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked at 35,993 kmsq in 2022 and was at its lowest, 26,097 kmsq, in 2000.

Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 11th of 252 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres) in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2000 to 2022.
Year kmsq Change
2000 26,097 kmsq
2001 26,893 kmsq +3.1%
2002 30,170 kmsq +12.2%
2003 33,210 kmsq +10.1%
2004 35,375 kmsq +6.5%
2005 35,547 kmsq +0.5%
2006 35,502 kmsq -0.1%
2007 35,386 kmsq -0.3%
2008 35,352 kmsq -0.1%
2009 35,282 kmsq -0.2%
2010 35,495 kmsq +0.6%
2011 35,577 kmsq +0.2%
2012 35,663 kmsq +0.2%
2013 35,682 kmsq +0.1%
2014 35,713 kmsq +0.1%
2015 35,650 kmsq -0.2%
2016 35,627 kmsq -0.1%
2017 35,592 kmsq -0.1%
2018 35,638 kmsq +0.1%
2019 35,796 kmsq +0.4%
2020 35,828 kmsq +0.1%
2021 35,843 kmsq +0.0%
2022 35,993 kmsq +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32,881 kmsq 26,097 kmsq 35,547 kmsq 10
2010s 35,643 kmsq 35,495 kmsq 35,796 kmsq 10
2020s 35,888 kmsq 35,828 kmsq 35,993 kmsq 3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of the Congo

  1. 8 Azerbaijan 78,372 kmsq compare
  2. 9 Brazil 61,477 kmsq compare
  3. 10 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 59,506 kmsq compare
  4. 12 Argentina 25,229 kmsq compare
  5. 13 Malawi 23,500 kmsq compare
  6. 14 Finland 22,408 kmsq compare

See the full ranking of 291 places →

More environment data for Democratic Republic of the Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of the Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 35,993 kmsq in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The highest recorded value was 35,993 kmsq in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 26,097 kmsq in 2000.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 11th out of 252 countries with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of the 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.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Unit
kmsq
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
291 places, 6,691 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed