Land Tenure Data
Africa
Tenure Data: Africa
RRI’s Tenure Tracking Data assesses global advances and setbacks regarding Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, local communities’, and the women within these communities’ legally recognized rights to forests, land, and natural resources.

Explore data from Africa.
Explore the available datasets:
Forest Tenure Data
Forest Tenure Data
Land Area Data
Land Area Data
Water Tenure Data
Water Tenure Data
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Only countries with an "*" symbol next to their name have unrecognized land data available.
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Land Area Methodology

 

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Examine the extent to which national-level legal frameworks recognize the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in these 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa:

  1. Angola
  2. Botswana
  3. Cameroon
  4. Central African Republic
  5. Chad
  6. Congo, Democratic Republic of
  7. Congo, Republic of the
  8. Ethiopia
  9. Gabon
  10. Ghana
  11. Kenya
  1. Liberia
  2. Madagascar
  3. Mali
  4. Mozambique
  5. Namibia
  6. Senegal
  7. South Sudan
  8. Sudan
  9. Tanzania
  10. Uganda
  11. Zambia
  12. Zimbabwe
 African countries with Land Area data

Between 2015 and 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa witnessed the most notable acceleration of legal recognition of community land rights of any region. The total area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communi­ties increased by 12%, a gain of 35 Mha in five years.

Nearly all the known increases in area owned by communities in Sub-Saharan Africa occurred in two countries: Kenya, which passed the 2016 Community Land Act; and Liberia, which passed the 2018 Land Rights Act recognizing customary lands, and began implementing community forestry under its 2015 Forest Act.

Several countries also took the first steps toward implementing legal frameworks designating land for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that had previously existed only on paper. These included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which began issuing Local Community Forest Concessions in 2017 based on a decree passed in 2014; and the Central African Republic, which, in 2019, recognized the country’s first community forest due to the 2008 Forest Code.

Notably, however, the overall area designated for communities across Sub-Saharan Africa actually decreased by 2.4 Mha (from 9.6% of land across the 23 countries analyzed as of 2015 to 9.4% of land across the same countries in 2020), as modest increases in a handful of countries were offset by large expropriations of communal land in Namibia.

The “current data” used in Land Area charts and tables on the Tenure Tool is the latest available as of December 2020, unless otherwise noted as coming from a more recent update. To keep the Land Area Database as up to date as possible, we welcome you to submit updates to Community-Based Tenure Regime (CBTR) land area. Use this form to submit new data.

Status of land designated for and owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities in Africa
  • By % of land
  • By amount of land, in Mha
“Current data" reflects latest data available as of December 2020.

Source RRI. 2020. Who Owns the World’s Land? Global State of Indigenous and Local Community Land Rights Recognition from 2015-2020

Area designated for and owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, by country in Africa
  • By % of land
  • By amount of land, in Mha

Country

Total land area (Mha)

Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities

2015 % of Land Area Current % of Land Area % Change from 2015 to Current

Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities

2015 % of Land Area Current % of Land Area % Change from 2015 to Current

Data reflects latest available as of:

Country: Algeria
Total land area (Mha)
238.17
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
14.22
- Current % of Land Area
14.53
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.32
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Angola
Total land area (Mha)
124.67
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0.01
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Botswana
Total land area (Mha)
56.67
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
53.44
- Current % of Land Area
53.44
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Cameroon
Total land area (Mha)
47.27
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
5.30
- Current % of Land Area
7.62
- % Change from 2015 to Current
2.32
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Central African Republic
Total land area (Mha)
62.30
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0.02
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.02
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Chad
Total land area (Mha)
125.92
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
Total land area (Mha)
226.71
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0.52
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.52
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Congo, Republic of the
Total land area (Mha)
34.15
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Egypt
Total land area (Mha)
99.55
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Ethiopia
Total land area (Mha)
100.00
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
1.36
- Current % of Land Area
1.36
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Gabon
Total land area (Mha)
25.77
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0.05
- Current % of Land Area
1.01
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.96
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Ghana
Total land area (Mha)
22.75
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
80.00
- Current % of Land Area
80.00
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Kenya
Total land area (Mha)
56.91
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0.37
- Current % of Land Area
0.09
- % Change from 2015 to Current
-0.28
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
5.80
- Current % of Land Area
66.98
- % Change from 2015 to Current
61.17
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Liberia
Total land area (Mha)
9.63
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
31.73
- Current % of Land Area
72.67
- % Change from 2015 to Current
40.95
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Libya
Total land area (Mha)
175.95
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Madagascar
Total land area (Mha)
58.18
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
5.12
- Current % of Land Area
5.12
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Mali
Total land area (Mha)
122.02
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Morocco
Total land area (Mha)
44.63
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
32.27
- Current % of Land Area
32.27
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Mozambique
Total land area (Mha)
78.64
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
66.37
- Current % of Land Area
66.37
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Namibia
Total land area (Mha)
82.33
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
40.57
- Current % of Land Area
37.22
- % Change from 2015 to Current
-3.35
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Senegal
Total land area (Mha)
19.25
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: South Sudan
Total land area (Mha)
64.69
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Sudan
Total land area (Mha)
186.80
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0.07
- Current % of Land Area
0.15
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.09
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Tanzania
Total land area (Mha)
88.58
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
6.08
- Current % of Land Area
3.60
- % Change from 2015 to Current
-2.48
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
69.00
- Current % of Land Area
67.43
- % Change from 2015 to Current
-1.57
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Tunisia
Total land area (Mha)
15.54
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
12.23
- Current % of Land Area
12.23
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Uganda
Total land area (Mha)
20.05
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
2.24
- Current % of Land Area
2.49
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0.24
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
41.89
- Current % of Land Area
41.89
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Zambia
Total land area (Mha)
74.34
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
72.37
- Current % of Land Area
72.37
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0.04
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Zimbabwe
Total land area (Mha)
38.69
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
42.39
- Current % of Land Area
42.39
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
0
- Current % of Land Area
0
- % Change from 2015 to Current
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Africa Total
Total land area (Mha)
2,300.16
Area designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
9.36
- Current % of Land Area
9.29
- % Change from 2015 to Current
-0.07
Area owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
- 2015 % of Land Area
5.57
- Current % of Land Area
7.19
- % Change from 2015 to Current
1.63
Data reflects latest available as of:

Dashes (-) denote situations where the tenure category in question is not legally possible under national law.
n.d. = no data
Source RRI. 2020. Who Owns the World’s Land? Global State of Indigenous and Local Community Land Rights Recognition from 2015-2020

Unrecognized lands by country in Africa

In addition to collecting data on the extent of communities’ legally recognized tenure rights, RRI sought out expert estimates of the areas where communities have customary or historic claims, but where their rights are not yet recognized.

Due to data limitations, it was only possible to determine estimates for 15 of the 23 African countries included in the dataset.

Country

Total land area (Mha)

Land area legally recognized as owned or designated for communities

Current area (Mha) Current % of land area

Community lands where rights are not legally recognized

Current area (Mha) Current % of land area

Data reflects latest available as of:

Country: Cameroon
Total land area (Mha)
47.27
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
3.60
Legally recognized land area (%)
7.62
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
34.05
Unrecognized land area (%)
72.03
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Central African Republic
Total land area (Mha)
62.30
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
0.01
Legally recognized land area (%)
0.02
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
50.73
Unrecognized land area (%)
81.43
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
Total land area (Mha)
226.71
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
1.18
Legally recognized land area (%)
0.52
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
196.48
Unrecognized land area (%)
86.67
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Congo, Republic of the
Total land area (Mha)
34.15
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
0
Legally recognized land area (%)
0
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
28.99
Unrecognized land area (%)
84.88
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Gabon
Total land area (Mha)
25.77
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
0.26
Legally recognized land area (%)
1.01
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
21.47
Unrecognized land area (%)
83.32
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Ghana
Total land area (Mha)
22.75
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
18.20
Legally recognized land area (%)
80.00
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Kenya
Total land area (Mha)
56.91
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
38.17
Legally recognized land area (%)
67.06
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0.83
Unrecognized land area (%)
1.46
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Liberia
Total land area (Mha)
9.63
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
7.00
Legally recognized land area (%)
72.67
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
n.d.
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Madagascar
Total land area (Mha)
58.18
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
2.98
Legally recognized land area (%)
5.12
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
41.72
Unrecognized land area (%)
71.70
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Morocco
Total land area (Mha)
44.63
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
14.40
Legally recognized land area (%)
32.27
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Mozambique
Total land area (Mha)
78.64
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
52.20
Legally recognized land area (%)
66.37
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Namibia
Total land area (Mha)
82.33
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
30.64
Legally recognized land area (%)
37.22
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
2.42
Unrecognized land area (%)
2.94
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Sudan
Total land area (Mha)
186.80
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
0.29
Legally recognized land area (%)
0.15
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
51.40
Unrecognized land area (%)
27.52
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Tanzania
Total land area (Mha)
88.58
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
62.92
Legally recognized land area (%)
71.04
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Uganda
Total land area (Mha)
20.05
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
8.90
Legally recognized land area (%)
44.38
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
0.28
Unrecognized land area (%)
1.42
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Country: Zambia
Total land area (Mha)
74.34
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
53.83
Legally recognized land area (%)
72.42
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
n.d.
Unrecognized land area (%)
0
Data reflects latest available as of:
2020
Total for Available Data in Africa
Total land area (Mha)
2,300.16
Legally recognized land area (Mha)
294.59
Legally recognized land area (%)
12.81
Unrecognized land area (Mha)
428.37
Unrecognized land area (%)
18.62
Data reflects latest available as of:

n.d. = No data
Source RRI. 2020. Who Owns the World’s Land? Global State of Indigenous and Local Community Land Rights Recognition from 2015-2020

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