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Sub-Saharan Africa

Countries (and areas) in the region

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Réunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Land

  • Total area: --- 
  • Land area: 23,890,896 km2 (2020) 
  • Land use by sector: 43% agriculture, 26% forest and 31% other (2018 - 2020)

People

  • Total population: 1,211,170,184 people (2022)
  • Population density: 48 people per km2 (2020)
  • Urbanisation: 39 % lives in urban areas and 55 % lives in rural areas (2020)

Economy

  • Total GDP: 4,224,355,401,051 USD per year (2020)
  • GDP per capita: 3,488 USD per year (2020)
  • Value added by sector: 17% from agriculture, 49% from services and 28% from industry (2020 - 2022)
The above data are estimates based on the latest available data for all countries (and areas) in the region. The estimates are not adjusted for potentially missing or outdated country (and area) data.
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SDG 6 snapshot Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Drinking water

    31 % of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa uses a safely managed drinking water service (SDG indicator 6.1.1, 2022)

  • Sanitation

    24 % of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa uses a safely managed sanitation service (SDG indicator 6.2.1a, 2022)

  • Hygiene

    23 % of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa has a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home (SDG indicator 6.2.1b, 2022)

  • Wastewater

    20 % of domestic wastewater in Sub-Saharan Africa is safely treated (SDG indicator 6.3.1, 2022)

  • Water quality

    79 % of monitored water bodies in Sub-Saharan Africa has good ambient water quality (SDG indicator 6.3.2, 2023)

  • Efficiency

    13 $/m<sup>3</sup> is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy in Sub-Saharan Africa (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2021)

  • Water stress

    6 % of the renewable water resources in Sub-Saharan Africa is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2021)

  • Water management

    49 % is the degree of implementation of integrated water resources management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SDG indicator 6.5.1, 2023) 

  • Transboundary

    --- % of transboundary basin area has an operational arrangement for water cooperation (SDG indicator 6.5.2, 2023)

  • Ecosystems

    23 % of the water basins in Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing rapid changes in the area covered by surface waters (SDG 6 indicator 6.6.1, 2020)

  • Cooperation

    2683 m$ is the amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 (SDG indicator 6.a.1)

  • Participation

    + is the average number of sub-sectors (out of 6) with a high level of participation by communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SDG indicator 6.b.1, 2021)

Drinking water

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa, progress over time

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa, by service level and location (2022)

Sanitation and hygiene

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa, progress over time

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa, by service level and location (2022)

6.2.1b Proportion of population with a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home in Sub-Saharan Africa, by service level and location (2022)

Water quality and wastewater

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated  > Domestic in Sub-Saharan Africa (2020-2023)

6.3.2 Level 1 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality in Sub-Saharan Africa (2020-2023)

Water use and scarcity

Water resources and withdrawal in Sub-Saharan Africa, total and per capita

Renewable water resources, regional average: 4,954 m3 per capita (2020)
Water withdrawal, regional average: 93 m3 per capita (2020)
Renewable water resources, water withdrawal and environmental flow requirements for all reporting countries (and areas) in the region ( - 2020):    

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources in Sub-Saharan Africa, change over time

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Sub-Saharan Africa, progress over time

Water-use efficiency and its components, by sector, for all reporting countries (and areas) in Sub-Saharan Africa (2021)

Water-use efficiency for ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ only takes into account the proportion of gross value added that comes from irrigated agriculture, since that activity is associated with water withdrawal (other activities are rain-fed).

Water resources management

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100) in Sub-Saharan Africa, progress over time, by dimension

Degree of IWRM implementation (0-100): Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa, progress over time, by component

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

International cooperation and capacity-building

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Sub-Saharan Africa, by country (and area) and over time

Annual expenditure for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa, per capita and by funding source

Community participation

6.b.1 Number of countries (or areas) with clearly defined Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities and with a high Level of participation by users/communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (2012-2021)

6.b.1 Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities in countries (and areas) in Sub-Saharan Africa (2012-2021)

6.b.1 Level of participation by users/communities in countries (and areas) in Sub-Saharan Africa ()