This species has been recorded from a wide variety of habitats, ranging from savanna woodland, Mediterranean-type shrubland, dry (and possibly moist) savanna, open grasslands and semi-desert to even more arid environments. Roosting has been recorded in caves, rock cervices, disused mines, and various rural and urban buildings.

This species is widespread in North, East and southern Africa, and also in parts of southwest Asia, including western and southeastern areas of the Arabian Peninsula. In North Africa it has been recorded from Algeria, Libya and Egypt; in East Africa, it ranges from Sudan in the north, through all East African countries to Malawi in the south; in southern Africa, it is present in Mozambique and Zambia in the north, ranging southwards into South Africa, Namibia and southern Angola. In addition there are a number of records from southern and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In southwest Asia, it ranges from Israel, Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt in the north, through the western and southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman, with a few additional records of the species from central regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

In view of the species wide range it seems likely that it is present in a number of protected areas. All bats, including Rhinolophus clivosus, are protected by national legislation in Jordan (Amr pers. comm. 2004). Bats of the genus Rhinolophus are generally susceptible to indirect poisoning through the local use of insecticides; there is a need to evaluate the impact of this threat on populations (especially in southwest Asia), and to investigate alternative methods of insect control (Kock pers. comm. 2004).