Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 140,659 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 140,659 for lakes and rivers permanent water area in 2022. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 140,659 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 103,008, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 13th out of 34 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 103,008 | — |
| 2001 | 105,935 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 122,400 | +15.5% |
| 2003 | 132,355 | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 139,088 | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 139,146 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 138,633 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 138,040 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 138,479 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 138,345 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 138,551 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 138,666 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 138,990 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 138,926 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 139,069 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 139,265 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 139,267 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 138,941 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 138,879 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 138,804 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 138,471 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 139,096 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 140,659 | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 129,543 | 103,008 | 139,146 | 10 |
| 2010s | 138,936 | 138,551 | 139,267 | 10 |
| 2020s | 139,409 | 138,471 | 140,659 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.223 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.21 °C (2025)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 305.43 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Aquaculture production 904,662 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 72.81 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Sub-Saharan Africa was 140,659 in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 140,659 in 2022.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 103,008 in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 13th out of 34 groups with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).