Savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Savanna — Burned Area was 21.51 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
21.51 million ha
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
3rd
of 22 countries
All-time high
22.92 million ha
in 2006
All-time low
1.58 million ha
in 1996
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M1990200720241990: 17.4M ha1991: 17.4M ha1992: 17.4M ha1993: 17.4M ha1994: 17.4M ha1995: 17.4M ha1996: 1.6M ha1997: 2.1M ha1998: 2.8M ha1999: 2.2M ha2000: 2.0M ha2001: 13.8M ha2002: 18.6M ha2003: 20.3M ha2004: 22.2M ha2005: 22.2M ha2006: 22.9M ha2007: 20.0M ha2008: 21.1M ha2009: 21.3M ha2010: 22.0M ha2011: 20.7M ha2012: 20.0M ha2013: 21.1M ha2014: 20.2M ha2015: 20.9M ha2016: 20.9M ha2017: 21.9M ha2018: 20.1M ha2019: 20.7M ha2020: 20.6M ha2021: 20.6M ha2022: 20.8M ha2023: 19.8M ha2024: 21.5M ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo is 21.51 million ha, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 8.8% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked at 22.92 million ha in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.58 million ha, in 1996.

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 — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, year by year

Annual values for Savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 17.41 million ha
1991 17.41 million ha +0.0%
1992 17.41 million ha +0.0%
1993 17.41 million ha +0.0%
1994 17.41 million ha +0.0%
1995 17.41 million ha +0.0%
1996 1.58 million ha -90.9%
1997 2.06 million ha +30.0%
1998 2.75 million ha +34.0%
1999 2.17 million ha -21.2%
2000 1.98 million ha -8.6%
2001 13.81 million ha +595.6%
2002 18.55 million ha +34.4%
2003 20.32 million ha +9.6%
2004 22.18 million ha +9.1%
2005 22.16 million ha -0.1%
2006 22.92 million ha +3.4%
2007 19.98 million ha -12.8%
2008 21.06 million ha +5.4%
2009 21.30 million ha +1.1%
2010 22.02 million ha +3.4%
2011 20.73 million ha -5.8%
2012 20.03 million ha -3.4%
2013 21.11 million ha +5.4%
2014 20.25 million ha -4.1%
2015 20.89 million ha +3.1%
2016 20.87 million ha -0.1%
2017 21.87 million ha +4.8%
2018 20.10 million ha -8.1%
2019 20.69 million ha +2.9%
2020 20.65 million ha -0.2%
2021 20.63 million ha -0.1%
2022 20.85 million ha +1.1%
2023 19.77 million ha -5.2%
2024 21.51 million ha +8.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.30 million ha 1.58 million ha 17.41 million ha 10
2000s 18.43 million ha 1.98 million ha 22.92 million ha 10
2010s 20.86 million ha 20.03 million ha 22.02 million ha 10
2020s 20.68 million ha 19.77 million ha 21.51 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of the Congo

  1. 1 Sudan (former) 16.56 million ha compare
  2. 2 Angola 16.50 million ha compare
  3. 3 South Sudan 16.10 million ha compare
  4. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 4.46 million ha compare
  5. 4 Zambia 11.91 million ha compare
  6. 5 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 2.97 million ha compare
  7. 5 Mozambique 10.99 million ha compare
  8. 6 Central African Republic 9.56 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 — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 21.51 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The highest recorded value was 22.92 million ha in 2006.
What is the lowest savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 1.58 million ha in 1996.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for savanna — burned area?
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 3rd out of 22 countries with data for 2024.
Is savanna — burned area rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. 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 — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

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About this data

Indicator
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.