Number of slaves taken from various regions of Africa by destination 1501-1866

Throughout the history of the transatlantic slave trade, approximately 5.7 million of the 12.5 million African slaves who embarked on slave ships did so in ports along the region of West Central Africa and St. Helena; of these 5.7 million, almost 3.9 million were destined for Brazil. This region was also the most common point of origin for slaves destined for the Spanish and Dutch Americas, and French colonies in the Caribbean. The majority of slaves destined for British colonies in the Caribbean were taken from ports along the Bight of Biafra or the Gold Coast, while the regions of Senegambia and nearby Atlantic islands was the most common for slaves destined for mainland North America. This data refers only to the number of slaves who embarked on ships in Africa, and not the number who disembarked; it is estimated that approximately 14.5 percent of slaves who embarked on ships destined for the Americas died during the Middle Passage.