Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 17.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial 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 land area.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 17.9% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 17.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 2014.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 9th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 17.1% | — |
| 2014 | 16.0% | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 16.8% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 16.3% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 16.7% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 16.8% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 17.4% | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 17.8% | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 17.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.7% | 16.0% | 17.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 16.7% | 17.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More climate change data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population 305.30 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Population, total 788.84 million (2025)
- Population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 2.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.387 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 3.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 19.08 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Africa Eastern and Southern was 17.9% 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 protected areas recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 17.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2014.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. 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 protected areas (% of total land 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 areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.