South Africa's forest cover fell from 14.8 % in 1994 to 14.0 % in 2023.
South Africa · Environment
Forests, air quality, land, water and protected areas.
10 indicators · 10 with data
Land
South Africa's forest area fell from 179,965 km in 1994 to 169,409 km in 2023.
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
% of land area
155th of 213 · 37th in Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa's terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) rose from 7.0 % in 2013 to 9.6 % in 2025.
South Africa's agricultural land (% of land area) fell from 80.2 % in 1994 to 79.4 % in 2023.
South Africa's arable land (% of land area) fell from 11.1 % in 1994 to 9.9 % in 2023.
Air
South Africa's air pollution (pm2.5) rose from 23.9 in 1994 to 27.7 in 2023.
Water
South Africa's water stress rose from 29.1 % in 1993 to 47.1 % in 2022.
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita
cubic metres per person
145th of 181 · 39th in Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa's renewable internal freshwater resources per capita fell from 1,035 in 1993 to 718.2 in 2022.
Access
South Africa's safe drinking water rose from 63.2 % in 2000 to 68.0 % in 2024.
South Africa's safe sanitation rose from 47.4 % in 2000 to 73.8 % in 2024.