Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Terrestrial protected areas was 17.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial 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 land area.
Analysis
In 2025, terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 17.3%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 17.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2014.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 14th 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 protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 16.3% | — |
| 2014 | 15.7% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 15.9% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 16.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 16.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 17.0% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 17.3% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.2% | 15.7% | 16.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 16.3% | 17.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More climate change data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population growth 2.4% (2025)
- Population, total 1.32 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.6% (2025)
- Urban population 590.18 million (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 132.53 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 3.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 13.3% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 3.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 17.3% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2014.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. 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 protected areas (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.