Land area in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Land area was 23.90 million sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
23.90 million sq. km
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
15th
of 45 groups
All-time high
23.90 million sq. km
in 2021
All-time low
20.14 million sq. km
in 1975
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land area in Sub-Saharan Africa is 23.90 million sq. km, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 23.90 million sq. km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 20.14 million sq. km, in 1975.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 15th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land area in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20.14 million sq. km | — |
| 1962 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 20.14 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 20.14 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 20.14 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 21.24 million sq. km | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 21.24 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21.39 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 21.39 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 23.89 million sq. km | +11.7% |
| 2013 | 23.89 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 23.89 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 23.89 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 23.89 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 23.90 million sq. km | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 9 |
| 1970s | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.91 million sq. km | 20.14 million sq. km | 21.24 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.33 million sq. km | 21.24 million sq. km | 21.39 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.39 million sq. km | 21.39 million sq. km | 23.90 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.90 million sq. km | 23.90 million sq. km | 23.90 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Land area in Sub-Saharan Africa was 23.90 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 23.90 million sq. km in 2021.
- What is the lowest land area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.14 million sq. km in 1975.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 15th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is land area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Land area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.