Hydrocynus vittatus is known from most of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, and south to South Africa.

Central Africa: Hydrocynus vittatus is found throughout the Congo River basin. In Lower Guinea, it is found in the Cross and Sanaga basins.

Eastern Africa: This species is known from Lake Tanganyika and major affluent rivers, including Malagarasi river, as well as Lake Albert and Murchison Nile, Lake Turkana (Seegers et al. 2003) and Lake Rukwa. It is also present in the Lower Shire river, Rufigi and Ruaha Rivers. According to Hopson and Hopson (1982) in the Turkana Basin this species is principally riverine and ecological changes in the lake level have tended to inhibit incursions of H. vittatus into the lake. However, an erroneous identification by Worthington and Ricardo (1936) for H. forskahlii is also possible. In the latter case H. vittatus most likely does not occur in Kenya (Seegers et al. 2004).

Northeast Africa: It is present in the Ghazal and Jebel systems, White and Blue Niles, and Nile to Lake Nasser (also known as Lake Nubia).

Southern Africa: It occurs in the Zambezi and Okavango (but not the Kafue or Lake Malawi), south to the Save, Limpopo and Phongolo systems (Skelton 2001). It has also been found in Lake Kariba (Losse 1998).

Western Africa: In West Africa, this species occurs in the basins of the Chad, Niger/Benue, Ouémé, and Senegal.