Africa: The cheetah once occurred in the whole of Africa, (excluding the tropical lowland forest). Today it is estimated that the current wild population amounts to no more than 12 000, most likely fewer than 9 000, and is continuously declining. Cheetahs are now extinct, or close to it, in at least 10 countries within their former range. 
Status: Vulnerable.

There are remnant populations in the Sahara in southern Algeria and northern Niger. The cheetah's sub-Saharan range is nowadays extremely fragmented, especially in west Africa with very low population densities. Local extinctions of these west African populations are very likely to occur within the next decade. 
The two main population blocks are situated in eastern (Kenya and Tanzania) and southern Africa (Namibia and Botswana, 3000 - 5000 animals). South Africa has small populations in the Kalahari Gemsbok NP and the Kruger NP. Probably due to the absence of other large predators and consequent competition for food, the greatest numbers occur outside conservation areas with 95% of the Namibian population to be found on privately owned land. Especially lions frequently rob cheetahs of their kills, occasionally also killing them in unevenly matched encounters. 
The cheetah is now extinct, or close to it, in at least 10 countries within its former range, while in a further 11 they are greatly reduced albeit viable provided adequate conservation programmes are implemented, which unfortunately seems unlikely in most of the countries. In South Africa the success of breeding programs in captivity has led to the downgrading of the endangered status of the cheetah in South Africa. However, despite their substantial numbers in captivity, this does not translate into any notable increase in their reintroduction into the wild, mostly due to the lack or absence of suitable habitat with suitable prey.