sub-Saharan

American  

[suhb-suh-har-uhn, -hair-uhn, -hahr-uhn] / ˌsʌb səˈhær ən, -ˈhɛər ən, -ˈhɑr ən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

   a sub-Saharan country; sub-Saharan peoples.

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sub-Saharan British  

adjective

1. in, of, or relating to Africa south of the Sahara desert

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sub-Saharan Cultural  

1. Region in Africa south of the Sahara desert.

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Etymology

Origin of sub-Saharan

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sub-Saharan

Core to these networks are community health workers, some of whom were on USAID’s payroll, and all of whom have been crucial to vast health improvements across sub-Saharan Africa.

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026

Even sub-Saharan Africa, long the demographic counterweight to falling birthrates elsewhere, is declining, to around 4.41 from 7.0.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Data centres could guzzle 9.32 trillion litres of water by 2030, enough to meet the annual basic water needs of the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and other low-income regions, relatively few people receive dialysis or kidney transplants.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

First, as regards domestic animals, we’ve already seen that those of sub-Saharan Africa came from Eurasia, with the possible exception of a few from North Africa.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond