Land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Land use for palm oil production was 296,829 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
296,829 hectares
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
9th
of 44 countries
All-time high
306,901 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
143,000 hectares
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 296,829 hectares.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 306,901 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 143,000 hectares, in 1965.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 9th out of 44 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 229,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 221,000 hectares | -3.5% |
| 1963 | 207,000 hectares | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 188,000 hectares | -9.2% |
| 1965 | 143,000 hectares | -23.9% |
| 1966 | 145,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 171,000 hectares | +17.9% |
| 1968 | 220,000 hectares | +28.7% |
| 1969 | 222,700 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 214,500 hectares | -3.7% |
| 1971 | 205,400 hectares | -4.2% |
| 1972 | 196,600 hectares | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 185,600 hectares | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 176,700 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1975 | 173,300 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 167,400 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 166,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 164,200 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 179,500 hectares | +9.3% |
| 1980 | 184,400 hectares | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 189,700 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 195,200 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 201,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 206,400 hectares | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 211,100 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 215,900 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 220,810 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 225,830 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 230,960 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 232,120 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 233,350 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 235,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 236,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 237,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 238,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 239,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 220,000 hectares | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 210,000 hectares | -4.5% |
| 1999 | 200,000 hectares | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 200,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 180,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 170,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 160,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 159,581 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 161,605 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 169,654 hectares | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 172,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 175,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 177,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 178,229 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 179,148 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 224,836 hectares | +25.5% |
| 2013 | 267,977 hectares | +19.2% |
| 2014 | 273,023 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 278,001 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 285,821 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 285,823 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 287,281 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 306,901 hectares | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 293,335 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 295,839 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 298,692 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 295,955 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 296,829 hectares | +0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 296,829 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 9,206 hectares, 32.2× the median. (8 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 296,829 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18,156 hectares, 16.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | +28.7% | 171,000 hectares | 220,000 hectares |
| 2012 | +25.5% | 179,148 hectares | 224,836 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 194,078 hectares | 143,000 hectares | 229,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 182,920 hectares | 164,200 hectares | 214,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 208,130 hectares | 184,400 hectares | 230,960 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 228,047 hectares | 200,000 hectares | 239,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 172,484 hectares | 159,581 hectares | 200,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 256,704 hectares | 178,229 hectares | 306,901 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 296,130 hectares | 293,335 hectares | 298,692 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
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 land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Land use for palm oil production in Democratic Republic of Congo was 296,829 hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use for palm oil production recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 306,901 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest land use for palm oil production recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 143,000 hectares in 1965.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for land use for palm oil production?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 9th out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land use for palm oil production rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of 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 Land use for palm oil production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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