Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 13.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 13.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 13.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 2014.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12.4% | — |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 12.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 12.7% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 12.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 12.9% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 13.3% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.4% | 11.9% | 12.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 12.6% | 13.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More climate change data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Urban population 590.18 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 2.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 3.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.4466 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.6% (2025)
- Population, total 1.32 billion (2025)
- Population growth 2.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 13.3% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 2014.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.