Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 27.74 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
27.74 million ha
Change on year
up 8.3%
World rank
3rd
of 22 countries
All-time high
29.34 million ha
in 2006
All-time low
18.18 million ha
in 2001
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M1990200720241990: 25.4M ha1991: 25.4M ha1992: 25.4M ha1993: 25.4M ha1994: 25.4M ha1995: 25.4M ha1996: 21.5M ha1997: 20.6M ha1998: 22.0M ha1999: 19.8M ha2000: 19.5M ha2001: 18.2M ha2002: 24.7M ha2003: 27.2M ha2004: 29.2M ha2005: 28.4M ha2006: 29.3M ha2007: 25.3M ha2008: 26.9M ha2009: 26.6M ha2010: 27.4M ha2011: 25.7M ha2012: 24.8M ha2013: 26.3M ha2014: 25.4M ha2015: 26.5M ha2016: 26.7M ha2017: 27.5M ha2018: 25.5M ha2019: 26.3M ha2020: 26.6M ha2021: 26.9M ha2022: 27.3M ha2023: 25.6M ha2024: 27.7M ha

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

Analysis

Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 27.74 million ha for savanna and woody savanna — burned area in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked at 29.34 million ha in 2006 and was at its lowest, 18.18 million ha, in 2001.

Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 3rd of 22 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, year by year

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 25.37 million ha
1991 25.37 million ha +0.0%
1992 25.37 million ha +0.0%
1993 25.37 million ha +0.0%
1994 25.37 million ha +0.0%
1995 25.37 million ha +0.0%
1996 21.52 million ha -15.1%
1997 20.56 million ha -4.5%
1998 21.96 million ha +6.8%
1999 19.79 million ha -9.9%
2000 19.54 million ha -1.3%
2001 18.18 million ha -7.0%
2002 24.70 million ha +35.9%
2003 27.23 million ha +10.2%
2004 29.20 million ha +7.2%
2005 28.45 million ha -2.6%
2006 29.34 million ha +3.1%
2007 25.25 million ha -13.9%
2008 26.86 million ha +6.4%
2009 26.65 million ha -0.8%
2010 27.43 million ha +2.9%
2011 25.73 million ha -6.2%
2012 24.81 million ha -3.6%
2013 26.35 million ha +6.2%
2014 25.40 million ha -3.6%
2015 26.54 million ha +4.5%
2016 26.71 million ha +0.7%
2017 27.51 million ha +3.0%
2018 25.46 million ha -7.4%
2019 26.27 million ha +3.1%
2020 26.60 million ha +1.3%
2021 26.91 million ha +1.2%
2022 27.31 million ha +1.5%
2023 25.62 million ha -6.2%
2024 27.74 million ha +8.3%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the 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
2002 +35.9% 18.18 million ha 24.70 million ha

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 23.60 million ha 19.79 million ha 25.37 million ha 10
2000s 25.54 million ha 18.18 million ha 29.34 million ha 10
2010s 26.22 million ha 24.81 million ha 27.51 million ha 10
2020s 26.83 million ha 25.62 million ha 27.74 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of the Congo

  1. 1 Angola 21.50 million ha compare
  2. 2 Sudan (former) 16.57 million ha compare
  3. 3 South Sudan 16.10 million ha compare
  4. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 4.63 million ha compare
  5. 4 Zambia 15.21 million ha compare
  6. 5 Mozambique 12.47 million ha compare
  7. 6 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 3.40 million ha compare
  8. 6 Brazil 10.74 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Democratic Republic of the Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of the Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 27.74 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The highest recorded value was 29.34 million ha in 2006.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 18.18 million ha in 2001.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 3rd out of 22 countries with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
274 places, 9,364 data points, 1990–2024
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.