Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa

South Africa: Share of land covered by lakes and rivers was 0.11 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
0.11
Change on year
up 10.0%
World rank
153rd
of 207 countries
All-time high
0.12
in 2000
All-time low
0.1
in 2020
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa, 2000–2022

00.0250.050.0750.10.1252000201120222000: 0.122001: 0.122002: 0.122003: 0.122004: 0.122005: 0.122006: 0.112007: 0.112008: 0.112009: 0.112010: 0.112011: 0.112012: 0.122013: 0.122014: 0.122015: 0.122016: 0.122017: 0.112018: 0.112019: 0.112020: 0.12021: 0.12022: 0.11

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa is 0.11, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.0% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa peaked at 0.12 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.1, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 153rd of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 0.12
2001 0.12 +0.0%
2002 0.12 +0.0%
2003 0.12 +0.0%
2004 0.12 +0.0%
2005 0.12 +0.0%
2006 0.11 -8.3%
2007 0.11 +0.0%
2008 0.11 +0.0%
2009 0.11 +0.0%
2010 0.11 +0.0%
2011 0.11 +0.0%
2012 0.12 +9.1%
2013 0.12 +0.0%
2014 0.12 +0.0%
2015 0.12 +0.0%
2016 0.12 +0.0%
2017 0.11 -8.3%
2018 0.11 +0.0%
2019 0.11 +0.0%
2020 0.1 -9.1%
2021 0.1 +0.0%
2022 0.11 +10.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.116 0.11 0.12 10
2010s 0.115 0.11 0.12 10
2020s 0.1033 0.1 0.11 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 151 Kiribati 0.12 compare
  2. 151 Spain 0.12 compare
  3. 153 Andorra 0.11 compare
  4. 153 Comoros 0.11 compare
  5. 153 Guam 0.11 compare
  6. 153 Luxembourg 0.11 compare
  7. 153 Monaco 0.11 compare
  8. 153 Sierra Leone 0.11 compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa?
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa was 0.11 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.12 in 2000.
What is the lowest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for share of land covered by lakes and rivers?
South Africa ranks 153rd out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of land covered by lakes and rivers rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by lakes and rivers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-land-covered-by-lakes-and-rivers/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
207 places, 4,761 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed