Countries in Africa by protected land
The share of the land in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas. 54 countries in Africa, highest first. World Bank, 2025
Median country
15.4%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of land | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Seychelles | 68.1% | Eastern Africa |
| 2 |  Guinea | 42.6% | Western Africa |
| 3 |  Zambia | 41.3% | Eastern Africa |
| =4 |  Namibia | 39.9% | Southern Africa |
| =4 |  Tanzania | 39.9% | Eastern Africa |
| 6 |  Congo | 36.6% | Middle Africa |
| 7 |  Benin | 36.1% | Western Africa |
| 8 |  Comoros | 33.7% | Eastern Africa |
| 9 |  São Tomé and Principe | 31.7% | Middle Africa |
| 10 |  Mozambique | 29.5% | Eastern Africa |
| 11 |  Zimbabwe | 28.3% | Eastern Africa |
| 12 |  Togo | 27.9% | Western Africa |
| 13 |  Botswana | 27.6% | Southern Africa |
| 14 |  Senegal | 27.5% | Western Africa |
| 15 |  Guinea-Bissau | 26.2% | Western Africa |
| 16 |  Lesotho | 23.4% | Southern Africa |
| 17 |  Malawi | 23.1% | Eastern Africa |
| 18 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 22.9% | Western Africa |
| 19 |  Gabon | 22.6% | Middle Africa |
| =20 |  Chad | 21.0% | Middle Africa |
| =20 |  Niger | 21.0% | Western Africa |
| 22 |  Equatorial Guinea | 19.0% | Middle Africa |
| 23 |  Cabo Verde | 17.6% | Western Africa |
| 24 |  Ethiopia | 17.0% | Eastern Africa |
| 25 |  Burkina Faso | 16.8% | Western Africa |
| 26 |  Uganda | 16.1% | Eastern Africa |
| 27 |  South Sudan | 15.4% | Eastern Africa |
| 28 |  Ghana | 15.3% | Western Africa |
| 29 |  DR Congo | 14.9% | Middle Africa |
| 30 |  Central African Republic | 14.8% | Middle Africa |
| =31 |  Kenya | 13.9% | Eastern Africa |
| =31 |  Nigeria | 13.9% | Western Africa |
| 33 |  Egypt | 13.1% | Northern Africa |
| 34 |  Madagascar | 12.8% | Eastern Africa |
| 35 |  Sierra Leone | 12.6% | Western Africa |
| 36 |  Cameroon | 11.0% | Middle Africa |
| 37 |  Angola | 10.8% | Middle Africa |
| 38 |  South Africa | 9.6% | Southern Africa |
| 39 |  Rwanda | 9.1% | Eastern Africa |
| 40 |  Tunisia | 7.9% | Northern Africa |
| 41 |  Gambia | 7.7% | Western Africa |
| 42 |  Burundi | 7.6% | Eastern Africa |
| 43 |  Mali | 7.5% | Western Africa |
| 44 |  Mauritius | 5.0% | Eastern Africa |
| 45 |  Algeria | 4.7% | Northern Africa |
| 46 |  Eswatini | 4.2% | Southern Africa |
| 47 |  Liberia | 4.0% | Western Africa |
| 48 |  Sudan | 2.8% | Northern Africa |
| 49 |  Morocco | 2.1% | Northern Africa |
| 50 |  Djibouti | 1.6% | Eastern Africa |
| 51 |  Mauritania | 0.6% | Western Africa |
| 52 |  Libya | 0.1% | Northern Africa |
| =53 |  Eritrea | 0.0% | Eastern Africa |
| =53 |  Somalia | 0.0% | Eastern Africa |
Questions
- Which country in Africa has the most protected land?
- The Seychelles has the most protected land in Africa: 68.1% of the land protected (2025). Next come Guinea (42.6% of the land protected) and Zambia (41.3% of the land protected).
- Which country in Africa has the least protected land?
- Somalia, with 0.0% of the land protected (2025).
- What is the typical protected land of a country in Africa?
- The median of the 54 countries in Africa is 15.4% of the land protected: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- The share of the land in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas. Source: World Bank, 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.