Is the Amazon Rainforest Bigger Than the Congo Rainforest?

The Amazon and Congo are the two largest tropical rainforests on Earth — the lungs of the planet, critical biodiversity hotspots, and home to millions of people. Both are facing severe deforestation pressures and are essential to global climate. So how do they compare?

The Short Answer

Yes, the Amazon is dramatically larger than the Congo rainforest. The Amazon covers about 5,500,000 km². The Congo rainforest covers about 2,000,000 km². The Amazon is approximately 2.75 times the size of the Congo rainforest.

Side-by-Side Numbers

• Amazon rainforest area: ~5,500,000 km² (~2,124,000 sq mi)
• Congo rainforest area: ~2,000,000 km² (~772,000 sq mi)
• Difference: Amazon is ~3,500,000 km² larger
• Ratio: Amazon is ~2.75× the size of the Congo
• Amazon basin countries: 9
• Congo basin countries: 6

The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. It spans 9 countries: Brazil (about 60%), Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The forest sits in the Amazon Basin, drained by the Amazon River — the largest river on Earth by discharge. The rainforest is estimated to contain about 390 billion individual trees representing 16,000 different species.

The Amazon hosts perhaps 10% of all known species on Earth — somewhere between 2.5 and 3 million species. About 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 fish species, 430 mammal species, and 2.5 million insect species call it home. The rainforest holds an estimated 76–100 billion metric tons of carbon, making its preservation critical to global climate stability. Deforestation has eliminated approximately 17% of the Amazon's original area since 1970.

The Congo Rainforest

The Congo rainforest is the world's second-largest tropical rainforest, after only the Amazon. It spans six Central African countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (about 60% of the rainforest), the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. The forest sits in the Congo Basin, drained by the Congo River — the world's second-largest river by discharge after the Amazon.

The Congo rainforest hosts about 10,000 known plant species, 400 mammal species, 1,000 bird species, and 700 fish species. Iconic wildlife includes western and eastern lowland gorillas, bonobos (found only in the DRC), chimpanzees, forest elephants, okapi (the DRC's national animal), leopards, and forest buffalo. The rainforest stores an estimated 60 billion tons of carbon — slightly less per unit area than the Amazon but still globally critical.

Biodiversity Comparison

The Amazon is more biodiverse than the Congo, both in absolute terms and per square kilometer. The Amazon has perhaps 4× more known fish species, 2.5× more bird species, and many more invertebrates. The reasons include the Amazon's greater age, larger size, and more complex river system that creates more ecological niches. However, the Congo has some of its own unique biodiversity that doesn't exist in the Amazon — gorillas (which exist only in Africa), bonobos (only in the DRC), okapi, and unique forest elephants are not present in South America.

Indigenous Populations

The Amazon is home to over 400 distinct Indigenous groups, totaling roughly 1 million people. Several remain uncontacted by outsiders; Brazil's FUNAI agency officially recognizes more than 100 isolated groups. Indigenous Amazonian peoples have lived in the rainforest for at least 11,000 years and managed it through sophisticated agroforestry and burn-management techniques. The Congo rainforest is home to about 75 million people total, including about 500,000 Indigenous "Pygmy" peoples (Mbuti, Twa, Aka, Baka, and others). These groups have been forest-dwellers for thousands of years and have detailed knowledge of forest ecology, hunting, and gathering. Both regions have seen pressure on Indigenous lands from logging, mining, and agricultural expansion.

Deforestation

Both forests are facing severe deforestation pressures, but at different scales and rates. The Amazon has lost roughly 17% of its original forest cover since 1970 — an area roughly the size of France. Cattle ranching accounts for about 80% of cleared land, soy farming for much of the rest. Studies suggest the Amazon may be approaching a "tipping point" at 20–25% deforestation, beyond which large parts of the forest could transition to savanna. The Congo has lost a smaller percentage of its forest historically — about 8% over the last 30 years — but the rate is accelerating. Logging (often illegal), agricultural expansion, mining, and the charcoal trade are major drivers. Conflict in parts of the DRC has both protected some forest areas from development and left them vulnerable to chaotic extraction.

Climate Importance

Both rainforests play critical roles in global climate. The Amazon generates much of its own rainfall through evapotranspiration, with "flying rivers" of moisture moving across South America to support agriculture across the continent. If the Amazon is significantly deforested past a tipping point, these moisture flows could collapse, with continental-scale consequences. The Congo plays a similar though smaller role for African climate. It produces moisture that supports rainfall across Central and West Africa. The Congo is also one of the world's most important carbon sinks — recent research suggests intact Congo rainforest absorbs more carbon per hectare than the Amazon does.

Rivers

Both rainforests are defined by their massive river systems. The Amazon River is the largest by water discharge (about 209,000 m³/s) — more than the next 7 rivers combined. It has over 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are longer than 1,000 km. The Congo River is the second-largest by discharge (about 41,000 m³/s) and the world's deepest river (over 220 m in places). Both rivers have shaped the geography, ecology, and human history of their respective continents.

Conservation Status

Conservation efforts vary significantly between the two forests. The Amazon has more international attention and funding, with Brazil's INPE satellite monitoring system providing detailed deforestation data, and major NGOs working with Indigenous and government partners. Brazilian deforestation rates fluctuated with political leadership — falling under Lula da Silva's first two governments, rising under Bolsonaro, and falling again under Lula's third term. The Congo gets less attention but has unique conservation efforts. Gabon has been particularly successful, protecting about 88% of its forest cover and gaining international payments for forest preservation. The DRC has more challenges due to conflict, poverty, and weak governance.

Geographic Setting

The Amazon basin is in equatorial South America, with the equator running through the northern part of the rainforest. The basin is bounded by the Andes Mountains to the west, the Guiana Highlands to the north, and the Brazilian Highlands to the south. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east, where the Amazon River discharges. The Congo basin is in equatorial Africa, also with the equator running through it. The basin is bounded by mountains to the east (the Albertine Rift and the East African Rift system), the Atlantic to the west, and savanna regions to the north and south. Both basins are essentially low-elevation tropical lowlands shaped by major river systems.

Economic Importance

Both rainforests have enormous economic value beyond timber. Sustainable extraction from the Amazon includes Brazil nuts, açaí, rubber, cacao, and increasingly ecotourism. The forest's "ecosystem services" — carbon storage, rainfall generation, biodiversity — are estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually but are not captured in conventional GDP. The Congo rainforest similarly supports significant sustainable extraction (timber, palm oil, hunting and gathering by Indigenous populations) plus growing ecotourism in countries like Gabon and Rwanda (for mountain gorilla viewing).

Key Facts

• The Amazon is about 2.75× the size of the Congo rainforest.
• The Amazon spans 9 countries; the Congo spans 6.
• Both rainforests are critical to global climate.
• The Amazon has more biodiversity per square kilometer.
• The Congo is home to gorillas, bonobos, and okapi — species not in the Amazon.

Fun Facts

• The Amazon River releases 209,000 m³/s into the Atlantic.
• The Congo River is the world's deepest river (over 220 m in places).
• The Amazon contains about 390 billion individual trees.
• The Congo is the only home to bonobos — humanity's closest relatives.
• Both rainforests have lost significant area in recent decades.
• The Amazon has more species of fish than the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Congo rainforest hosts roughly half of Africa's remaining forest cover.
• Both basins were once even larger before historical climate cycles reduced their area.

The Bottom Line

The Amazon is dramatically larger than the Congo rainforest — about 2.75 times larger. Both are essential to global climate, biodiversity, and Indigenous cultures. The Amazon has more global attention and funding; the Congo has unique species and ecosystems found nowhere else. Both will continue to be central to global conservation efforts in the decades ahead.