Land use in Congo
Congo: Land use was 651,400 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
651,400 hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
126th
of 224 countries
All-time high
672,600 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
513,869 hectares
in 1994
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Congo, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Congo recorded 651,400 hectares for land use in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Congo peaked at 672,600 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 513,869 hectares, in 1994.
Congo ranks 126th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 547,800 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 548,350 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 550,450 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 545,550 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 543,350 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 543,000 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 543,100 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 543,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 545,800 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 547,450 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 550,100 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 550,944 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 554,783 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 556,125 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 558,139 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 562,927 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 561,944 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 517,984 hectares | -7.8% |
| 1979 | 518,350 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 521,925 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 525,950 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 551,100 hectares | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 555,450 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 557,700 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 563,850 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 561,989 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 535,732 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1988 | 538,085 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 539,852 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 517,337 hectares | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 519,955 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 519,564 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 524,796 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 513,869 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 517,687 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 521,998 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 535,013 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 535,577 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 543,665 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 539,942 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 540,394 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 539,829 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 540,163 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 543,281 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 545,654 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 548,771 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 549,421 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 549,976 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 563,215 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 575,404 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 596,615 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 602,008 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 630,804 hectares | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 631,416 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 623,431 hectares | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 625,457 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 626,618 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 631,497 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 657,800 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 642,700 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 672,600 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 651,300 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 651,400 hectares | +0.0% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 651,400 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 23% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 651,400 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 20% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 545,622 hectares | 543,000 hectares | 550,450 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 547,875 hectares | 517,984 hectares | 562,927 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 545,163 hectares | 521,925 hectares | 563,850 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 524,946 hectares | 513,869 hectares | 543,665 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 546,065 hectares | 539,829 hectares | 563,215 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 620,105 hectares | 575,404 hectares | 657,800 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 654,500 hectares | 642,700 hectares | 672,600 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 123 Eritrea 692,000 hectares compare
- 124 Panama 680,966 hectares compare
- 125 Albania 678,500 hectares compare
- 127 Guinea-Bissau 645,530 hectares compare
- 128 New Zealand 592,000 hectares compare
- 129 Costa Rica 544,348 hectares compare
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 land use in Congo?
- Land use in Congo was 651,400 hectares in 2023, 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 recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 672,600 hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 513,869 hectares in 1994.
- How does Congo rank for land use?
- Congo ranks 126th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).