Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 14.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring. Measured in % of total territorial area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern is 14.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 14.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 2014.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 14th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12.1% | — |
| 2014 | 11.4% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 12.4% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +10.4% |
| 2021 | 13.8% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 13.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 14.5% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 14.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.0% | 11.4% | 12.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 13.7% | 14.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More climate change data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Population, total 788.84 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 305.30 million (2025)
- Urban population 38.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 15.2% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 100.16 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 5.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.9% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 8.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern was 14.5% in 2025, according to Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring.
- What is the highest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 2014.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring, published as part of Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.