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

"Combining these with epidemiological data allowed us to estimate malaria transmission risk across sub-Saharan Africa."

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

Fletcher said the UN was also trying to keep the Strait of Hormuz open in its bid to get aid convoys to sub-Saharan Africa amid a "looming famine" in the region.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher warned that the escalating war and the impact on the strait was having "a direct impact on our humanitarian supplies, including going to areas of key need in sub-Saharan Africa".

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Michael M. Phillips runs The Wall Street Journal's Africa bureau and writes features stories from across the breadth of sub-Saharan Africa, from Somalia to Equatorial Guinea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Throughout most of human history it was far more accessible to Eurasia than were the Americas, but the Saharan desert is still a major ecological barrier separating sub-Saharan Africa from Eurasia plus North Africa.

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