Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 0.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 0.3% for lakes and rivers seasonal water area in 2022. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 48.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 0.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 30th out of 37 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.1% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +29.7% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +15.0% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 27 Gambia 1.4% compare
- 28 Belize 1.2% compare
- 29 Cuba 1.2% compare
- 30 Antigua and Barbuda 1.2% compare
- 31 United States Virgin Islands 1.1% compare
- 32 Senegal 1.0% compare
- 33 Russian Federation 1.0% compare
- 33 Russian Federation 1.0% compare
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 seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Sub-Saharan Africa was 0.3% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 30th out of 37 groups with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.8%. 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 seasonal water area (% of total land area). 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).