Share of land area that is protected in South Africa
South Africa: Share of land area that is protected was 9.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land area that is protected in South Africa, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total land area.
Analysis
In 2025, share of land area that is protected in South Africa stood at 9.6%.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in South Africa peaked at 14.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2013.
That places South Africa 155th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.2% | 7.0% | 14.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 8.6% | 9.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 152 British Virgin Islands 10.5% compare
- 153 Kazakhstan 10.1% compare
- 154 Palestine 10.0% compare
- 156 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.5% compare
- 157 Saint Martin (French part) 9.3% compare
- 158 Belarus 9.2% compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in South Africa?
- Share of land area that is protected in South Africa was 9.6% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area that is protected recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2013.
- How does South Africa rank for share of land area that is protected?
- South Africa ranks 155th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area that is protected. 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).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.