UV Index Africa
UV index for major African cities. With strong year-round sunshine across most of the continent, sun protection is essential.
Africa UV summary
Top countries
| Country | Now | Max today | WHO UV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zambia | 13 | 13 | 5,265 |
| DR Congo | 12 | 13 | 5,100 |
| Seychelles | 12 | 13 | 5,570 |
| Tanzania | 12 | 12 | 5,483 |
| Ethiopia | 12 | 12 | 5,929 |
| Uganda | 12 | 12 | 5,499 |
| Kenya | 11 | 11 | 5,803 |
| Mozambique | 11 | 11 | 4,646 |
| Rwanda | 10 | 11 | 5,130 |
| Ghana | 6 | 11 | 5,166 |
Top cities
| City | Now | Max today | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitwe | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Lubumbashi | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Victoria | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Mwanza | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Dire Dawa | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Gulu | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Lusaka | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Mombasa | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Dar es Salaam | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Maputo | 11 | 11 | 11 |
UV radiation overview
Africa lies almost entirely within the tropics, extending equally to the north and south of the equator and stretching from roughly 37°N in Tunisia to 35°S in South Africa. The continent's geography places most of its land in the latitude band where the WHO and WMO scale describes summertime UV index values in the tens as common, particularly under the clear skies typical of arid and semi-arid zones. This places sustained, high midday UV across most of the continent for most of the year.
The Sahara is one of the hottest, driest and sunniest places on Earth. Most of the desert receives more than 3,600 hours of bright sunshine per year — over 82% of daylight hours — and a wide eastern band exceeds 4,000 hours, with annual direct solar irradiation averaging around 2,800 kWh/m². Persistent absence of cloud cover allows light and thermal radiation to reach the surface largely unhindered, while subsiding dry air masses suppress convection and keep the sky exceptionally clear.
Africa's highlands push UV exposure higher still. The Ethiopian Highlands form the largest continuous high-altitude mass on the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m.
