A World Heritage Site is a cultural or natural conserved site that the world community regards as having outstanding universal value. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 119 World Heritage Sites in Africa. These are in 39 countries (also called state parties), with Ethiopia, South Africa and Tunisia having the most with eight each, and eleven countries having only a single site. Three sites are shared between two countries: Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea), Stone Circles of Senegambia (The Gambia and Senegal) and Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Each year, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee may inscribe new sites on the list, or delist sites that that no longer meet the criteria. Selection is based on ten criteria: six for cultural heritage (i–vi) and four for natural heritage. (vii–x). Some sites, designated mixed sites, represent both cultural and natural heritage. In Africa there are 76 cultural, 39 natural and 4 mixed sites. The first two sites, the Island of Gorée of Senegal and the Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela of Ethiopia, were inscribed in 1978. UNESCO may also specify that a site is in danger, stating "conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List". Fourteen African sites have been defined as in danger, accounting for 12% of the African sites and one short of half the total endangered sites.