Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas was 23.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 23.1% for proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 23.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 1990.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 14th out of 32 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.9% | — |
| 2000 | 18.4% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 20.1% | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 21.6% | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 23.1% | +5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.9% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 20.1% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.5% | 21.8% | 23.1% | 2 |
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 — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 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 proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa was 23.1% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 1990.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 14th out of 32 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. 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 Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).