Terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Terrestrial protected areas was 16.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central, 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
The most recent figure for terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central is 16.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central peaked at 16.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.1%, in 2015.
Africa Western and Central ranks 24th 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 protected areas in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 15.2% | — |
| 2014 | 15.2% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 15.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 15.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15.6% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 16.3% | +4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.4% | 15.1% | 15.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 15.9% | 15.6% | 16.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More climate change data for Africa Western and Central
- Population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Population, total 532.81 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.4% (2025)
- Urban population 284.93 million (2025)
- Urban population 53.5% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 18.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 32.38 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.7% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 13.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 2.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Africa Western and Central was 16.3% 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 protected areas recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.1% in 2015.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 24th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central 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.