Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires was 1.22 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2003–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo is 1.22 million tonnes, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 14.8% on the previous year and down 54.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 2.69 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.22 million tonnes, in 2026.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 3rd of 248 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.13 million tonnes | 1.96 million tonnes | 2.25 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 2.12 million tonnes | 1.86 million tonnes | 2.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.71 million tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes | 2.04 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
- Population growth 3.2% (2025)
- Population, total 112.83 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.0% (2025)
- Urban population 50.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.1% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 238.70 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Democratic Republic of Congo was 1.22 million tonnes in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.69 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.22 million tonnes in 2026.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 3rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
PM2.5 emissions represent the quantity of fine particulate matter (diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) released by wildfires, in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.