Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa
South Africa: Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces was 6,405 Square kilometres in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa, 2005–2022
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa is 6,405 Square kilometres, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 209.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa peaked at 6,405 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1,206 Square kilometres, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 13th of 164 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1,206 Square kilometres | — |
| 2010 | 2,072 Square kilometres | +71.9% |
| 2015 | 3,250 Square kilometres | +56.9% |
| 2020 | 5,919 Square kilometres | +82.1% |
| 2022 | 6,405 Square kilometres | +8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,206 Square kilometres | 1,206 Square kilometres | 1,206 Square kilometres | 1 |
| 2010s | 2,661 Square kilometres | 2,072 Square kilometres | 3,250 Square kilometres | 2 |
| 2020s | 6,162 Square kilometres | 5,919 Square kilometres | 6,405 Square kilometres | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood charcoal — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa?
- Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in South Africa was 6,405 Square kilometres in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6,405 Square kilometres in 2022.
- What is the lowest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,206 Square kilometres in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
- South Africa ranks 13th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 209.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The land cover dataset provides a global assessment of land cover and land cover change to monitor pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity. By using geospatial data with high spatio-temporal resolution, it develops a set of internationally comparable indicators with a long time series and a five-year interval from 2000 to 2022 for the Climate Change Initiative Land Cover dataset, and from 1975 to 2030 for the Global Human Settlement Layer dataset. Please see the working paper for a more complete description of the methods. The dataset has a global coverage on the national level, while on the sub-national TL2 level (i.e. large subnational regions) results are reported for all OECD countries as well as for Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa. The following country aggregates are included: Euro area, European Union, Advanced economies, Emerging market economies, G7, G20, OECD, OECD Europe, OECD Asia Oceania, OECD Americas, the LAC region and the World. Data source(s): Climate Change Initiative land cover data and Global Human Settlement Layer built-up area data. Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Database documentation