Woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Woody savanna — Burned Area was 6.23 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
6.23 million ha
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
3rd
of 22 countries
All-time high
19.94 million ha
in 1996
All-time low
4.37 million ha
in 2001
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720241990: 8.0M ha1991: 8.0M ha1992: 8.0M ha1993: 8.0M ha1994: 8.0M ha1995: 8.0M ha1996: 19.9M ha1997: 18.5M ha1998: 19.2M ha1999: 17.6M ha2000: 17.6M ha2001: 4.4M ha2002: 6.2M ha2003: 6.9M ha2004: 7.0M ha2005: 6.3M ha2006: 6.4M ha2007: 5.3M ha2008: 5.8M ha2009: 5.4M ha2010: 5.4M ha2011: 5.0M ha2012: 4.8M ha2013: 5.2M ha2014: 5.2M ha2015: 5.7M ha2016: 5.8M ha2017: 5.6M ha2018: 5.4M ha2019: 5.6M ha2020: 5.9M ha2021: 6.3M ha2022: 6.5M ha2023: 5.9M ha2024: 6.2M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo stood at 6.23 million ha.

That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked at 19.94 million ha in 1996 and was at its lowest, 4.37 million ha, in 2001.

That places Democratic Republic of the Congo 3rd out of 22 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.

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

Annual values for Woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 7.96 million ha
1991 7.96 million ha +0.0%
1992 7.96 million ha +0.0%
1993 7.96 million ha +0.0%
1994 7.96 million ha +0.0%
1995 7.96 million ha +0.0%
1996 19.94 million ha +150.6%
1997 18.51 million ha -7.2%
1998 19.20 million ha +3.8%
1999 17.61 million ha -8.3%
2000 17.55 million ha -0.4%
2001 4.37 million ha -75.1%
2002 6.15 million ha +40.8%
2003 6.91 million ha +12.3%
2004 7.02 million ha +1.5%
2005 6.29 million ha -10.4%
2006 6.42 million ha +2.1%
2007 5.27 million ha -18.0%
2008 5.80 million ha +10.1%
2009 5.35 million ha -7.8%
2010 5.41 million ha +1.0%
2011 5.00 million ha -7.5%
2012 4.78 million ha -4.5%
2013 5.23 million ha +9.6%
2014 5.15 million ha -1.6%
2015 5.65 million ha +9.7%
2016 5.84 million ha +3.4%
2017 5.64 million ha -3.5%
2018 5.37 million ha -4.9%
2019 5.58 million ha +3.9%
2020 5.95 million ha +6.7%
2021 6.28 million ha +5.5%
2022 6.46 million ha +2.9%
2023 5.85 million ha -9.4%
2024 6.23 million ha +6.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.30 million ha 7.96 million ha 19.94 million ha 10
2000s 7.11 million ha 4.37 million ha 17.55 million ha 10
2010s 5.37 million ha 4.78 million ha 5.84 million ha 10
2020s 6.15 million ha 5.85 million ha 6.46 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of the Congo

  1. 1 Angola 5.00 million ha compare
  2. 2 Russian Federation 3.45 million ha compare
  3. 3 OECD 3.33 million ha compare
  4. 4 Zambia 3.30 million ha compare
  5. 5 Canada 2.22 million ha compare
  6. 5 Lao People's Democratic Republic 444,677 ha compare
  7. 6 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 424,524 ha compare
  8. 6 Brazil 1.50 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for Democratic Republic of the Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of the Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Woody savanna — burned area in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 6.23 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest woody savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The highest recorded value was 19.94 million ha in 1996.
What is the lowest woody savanna — burned area recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 4.37 million ha in 2001.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for woody savanna — burned area?
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 3rd out of 22 countries with data for 2024.
Is woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Woody savanna — Burned Area in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

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About this data

Indicator
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
273 places, 9,329 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.