Forest fires — Emissions in Congo

Congo: Forest fires — Emissions was 14,405 kt in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
14,405 kt
Change on year
up 271.9%
World rank
18th
of 181 countries
All-time high
14,405 kt
in 2024
All-time low
1,248 kt
in 2002
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Forest fires — Emissions in Congo, 2001–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k2001201220242001: 2.4k kt2002: 1.2k kt2003: 6.1k kt2004: 4.6k kt2005: 4.6k kt2006: 5.8k kt2007: 4.1k kt2008: 3.1k kt2009: 3.2k kt2010: 5.4k kt2011: 6.9k kt2012: 4.3k kt2013: 3.8k kt2014: 2.0k kt2015: 4.6k kt2016: 7.7k kt2017: 2.8k kt2018: 6.1k kt2019: 6.5k kt2020: 5.3k kt2021: 3.6k kt2022: 6.4k kt2023: 3.9k kt2024: 14.4k kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

Congo recorded 14,405 kt for forest fires — emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 271.9% on the previous year and up 630.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions in Congo peaked at 14,405 kt in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,248 kt, in 2002.

That places Congo 18th out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Forest fires — Emissions in Congo, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (CO2) in Congo, 2001 to 2024.
Year kt Change
2001 2,406 kt —
2002 1,248 kt -48.1%
2003 6,107 kt +389.5%
2004 4,601 kt -24.7%
2005 4,585 kt -0.3%
2006 5,757 kt +25.6%
2007 4,069 kt -29.3%
2008 3,094 kt -24.0%
2009 3,157 kt +2.0%
2010 5,448 kt +72.6%
2011 6,909 kt +26.8%
2012 4,263 kt -38.3%
2013 3,786 kt -11.2%
2014 1,973 kt -47.9%
2015 4,634 kt +134.8%
2016 7,687 kt +65.9%
2017 2,817 kt -63.3%
2018 6,068 kt +115.4%
2019 6,488 kt +6.9%
2020 5,295 kt -18.4%
2021 3,638 kt -31.3%
2022 6,373 kt +75.2%
2023 3,873 kt -39.2%
2024 14,405 kt +271.9%

Congo compared with similar countries

  • Congo's 14,405 kt is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 257.36 kt, 56.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Congo's 14,405 kt is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 612.16 kt, 23.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Forest fires — Emissions 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.

YearChange FromTo
2003 +389.5% 1,248 kt 6,107 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3,892 kt 1,248 kt 6,107 kt 9
2010s 5,007 kt 1,973 kt 7,687 kt 10
2020s 6,717 kt 3,638 kt 14,405 kt 5

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 15 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0 kt compare
  2. 15 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 kt
  3. 15 Republic of Moldova 0 kt compare
  4. 15 South Sudan 25,207 kt compare
  5. 15 Syrian Arab Republic 0 kt compare
  6. 15 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 kt
  7. 15 Micronesia 0 kt
  8. 15 Polynesia 0 kt compare
  9. 16 Sudan (former) 24,078 kt compare
  10. 17 Paraguay 14,810 kt compare
  11. 19 Ethiopia 11,513 kt compare
  12. 20 Australia and New Zealand 10,296 kt compare
  13. 21 Australia 10,244 kt compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More climate change data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions in Congo?
Forest fires — emissions in Congo was 14,405 kt in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions recorded in Congo?
The highest recorded value was 14,405 kt in 2024.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 1,248 kt in 2002.
How does Congo rank for forest fires — emissions?
Congo ranks 18th out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — emissions rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 630.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Congo data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions in Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-co2-fao-tier-1/congo-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
234 places, 5,513 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.