Marine protected areas in South Africa
South Africa: Marine protected areas was 15.4 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15.4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
39th
of 174 countries
All-time high
15.5
in 2020
All-time low
12.1
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025
Marine protected areas in South Africa, 2013–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for marine protected areas in South Africa is 15.4, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marine protected areas in South Africa peaked at 15.5 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.1, in 2013.
South Africa ranks 39th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Marine protected areas in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12.1 | — |
| 2014 | 12.1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12.1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 14.6 | +20.7% |
| 2020 | 15.5 | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 15.5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 15.5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15.4 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 15.4 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 15.4 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.95, 16.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 15.4 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7, 22.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.46 | 12.1 | 14.6 | 7 |
| 2020s | 15.47 | 15.4 | 15.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marine protected areas in South Africa?
- Marine protected areas in South Africa was 15.4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest marine protected areas recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5 in 2020.
- What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.1 in 2013.
- How does South Africa rank for marine protected areas?
- South Africa ranks 39th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is marine protected areas rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Marine protected areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).