Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Terrestrial protected areas was 2.84 million sq. km in 2010. ▲ Rising

Latest (2010)
2.84 million sq. km
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
3rd
of 6 groups
All-time high
2.84 million sq. km
in 2009
All-time low
2.70 million sq. km
in 1990
Years of data
21
1990–2010

Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1990–2010

01.0M2.0M3.0M1990200020101990: 2.7M sq. km1991: 2.7M sq. km1992: 2.7M sq. km1993: 2.7M sq. km1994: 2.7M sq. km1995: 2.7M sq. km1996: 2.7M sq. km1997: 2.7M sq. km1998: 2.7M sq. km1999: 2.7M sq. km2000: 2.7M sq. km2001: 2.7M sq. km2002: 2.8M sq. km2003: 2.8M sq. km2004: 2.8M sq. km2005: 2.8M sq. km2006: 2.8M sq. km2007: 2.8M sq. km2008: 2.8M sq. km2009: 2.8M sq. km2010: 2.8M sq. km

Source: United Nations Environmental Program and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as compiled by the World Resources Institute, based on data from national authorities, national legislation and inter. Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 2.84 million sq. km for terrestrial protected areas in 2010. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

The figure is up 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 2.84 million sq. km in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.70 million sq. km, in 1990.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Terrestrial protected areas (sq. km) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1990 to 2010.
Year sq. km Change
1990 2.70 million sq. km
1991 2.71 million sq. km +0.6%
1992 2.72 million sq. km +0.3%
1993 2.71 million sq. km -0.3%
1994 2.71 million sq. km +0.1%
1995 2.71 million sq. km +0.0%
1996 2.72 million sq. km +0.1%
1997 2.72 million sq. km +0.2%
1998 2.73 million sq. km +0.1%
1999 2.73 million sq. km +0.2%
2000 2.74 million sq. km +0.2%
2001 2.74 million sq. km +0.3%
2002 2.82 million sq. km +2.9%
2003 2.82 million sq. km +0.1%
2004 2.82 million sq. km +0.0%
2005 2.83 million sq. km +0.0%
2006 2.83 million sq. km +0.1%
2007 2.84 million sq. km +0.3%
2008 2.84 million sq. km +0.0%
2009 2.84 million sq. km +0.1%
2010 2.84 million sq. km +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.72 million sq. km 2.70 million sq. km 2.73 million sq. km 10
2000s 2.81 million sq. km 2.74 million sq. km 2.84 million sq. km 10
2010s 2.84 million sq. km 2.84 million sq. km 2.84 million sq. km 1

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

  1. 1 Zambia 271,275 sq. km compare
  2. 2 Tanzania, United Republic of 260,821 sq. km compare
  3. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 234,193 sq. km compare
  4. 4 Ethiopia 203,173 sq. km compare
  5. 5 Botswana 179,951 sq. km compare
  6. 6 Angola 154,589 sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 56 places →

More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) →

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 2.84 million sq. km in 2010, according to United Nations Environmental Program and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as compiled by the World Resources Institute, based on data from national authorities, national legislation and inter.
What is the highest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 2.84 million sq. km in 2009.
What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 2.70 million sq. km in 1990.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for terrestrial protected areas?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2010.
Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. 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 United Nations Environmental Program and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as compiled by the World Resources Institute, based on data from national authorities, national legislation and inter, published as part of Terrestrial protected areas (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Environmental Program and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as compiled by the World Resources Institute, based on data from national authorities, national legislation and inter. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas-sq-km/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas-sq-km/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/">Terrestrial protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Terrestrial protected areas (sq. km)
Unit
sq. km
Source
United Nations Environmental Program and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as compiled by the World Resources Institute, based on data from national authorities, national legislation and inter
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
56 places, 1,170 data points, 1990–2010
Last refreshed

Nationally protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated 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, and litoral (intertidal) areas are not included. The data also do not include sites protected under local or provincial law.