Surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Surface area was 24.34 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat
Surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
In 2023, surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 24.34 million sq. km. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 24.34 million sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 24.27 million sq. km, in 1961.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 9 |
| 1970s | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.29 million sq. km | 24.27 million sq. km | 24.31 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.32 million sq. km | 24.31 million sq. km | 24.33 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.34 million sq. km | 24.34 million sq. km | 24.34 million sq. km | 4 |
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 85.37 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,453 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 124.08 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa was 24.34 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest surface area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 24.34 million sq. km in 2023.
- What is the lowest surface area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.27 million sq. km in 1961.
- Is surface 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 flat.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.