The zebra angelfish is widely distributed across the western Indian ocean, from the south of the Red sea in the north, down to the KwaZulu-Natal province, also known as KZN, in South Africa to the south. The zebra angelfish can be found around the Maldives islands, Madagascar island, Réunion island and Mauritius island.

The zebra angelfish is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The zebra angelfish appears in the IUCN Red List since 2010 within the category Least Concern !