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.

---

sub-Saharan British  

adjective

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

---

sub-Saharan Cultural  

1. Region in Africa south of the Sahara desert.

---

Etymology

Origin of sub-Saharan

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

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

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

This allows several sub-Saharan African nations to export thousands of goods duty-free to the US.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

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

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

Parts of sub-Saharan Africa were divided among small states or chiefdoms with iron tools.

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