Within the UAE, it is known from foothills of the Hajar Mountains, Al Marmoum, Jebel Hafeet, Arabian Oryx Protected Area, and Hilli. It is absent from the west of the UAE, but has been planted as a landscape tree, for example in parts of Dubai (G.R. Brown pers. comm. 2020). The estimated EOO for this species is 19,222 km². The species is found in the northern Sahel and the southern and central Sahara, extending to eastern Africa and east to the Arabian Peninsula.

In the UAE, the species is known from a very small number of records from higher elevations (900-1,800 m elevation; M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019) in the Ru'us al-Jibal. Feulner (2011) reported a single locality in the southern Ru'us al-Jibal, but commented that it is probably overlooked elsewhere and later found a second record in the same area (G.R. Feulner, in litt, in MEW 2010). It has also been recorded from Jebel Jais at high elevation (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). The global range of this species is the eastern Himalaya and western Himalaya regions, according to Plants of the World Online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Ohba and Rajbhandari (2012) give the range as Nepal, western Himalaya (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan) and southwest Asia. Iran and China are cited by Flora Iranica (Rechinger 1963-2010). The species has recently been reported for Oman (Patzelt 2015).

Within the UAE, this species is recorded from Jebel Faya and Qarn Nazwa (G.M. Brown pers. obs., G.R. Feulner pers comm. 2018, MEW 2010). Globally, this species occurs across North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

This species has a restricted distribution in the UAE, where it is known from Wadi Ashwani and Wadi Helo in the northeast of the UAE (Jongbloed et al. 2003, El-Keblawy et al. 2016). In Ras al-Khaimah, the species has been recorded from Wadi Sfai (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It occurs in the Ru'us al Jibal in Oman. Globally, the native range of this species spans from the Arabian Peninsula to western Asia and India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

This species is known from Jebel Ali (Jongbloed et al. 2003), in addition to Jebel Hafeet, Hamriyah, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah and Sila in the western UAE. It was also found from Wadi Siji in 2017. Crotalaria persica is known considered to have possibly been lost from Jebel Ali, in addition to subpopulations being lost due to development. In particular, a subpopulation was lost due to construction of a radio mast (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019) and the occurrence in Taweela no longer exists (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). The estimated EOO for this species is 10,500-15,000 km²and the number of threat-based locations is considered to be close to ten, according to the threat of development. Globally, this species is found from north-east tropical Africa to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is known from along the Arabian Gulf coast (Jongbloed et al. 2003), including Jebel Ali. The estimated EOO of this species is 28,675 km². Globally, the native range of this species spans from south-east European Russia to central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, the species is recorded from the Ru'us al-Jibal from c.1,100 to c.1,800 m elevation (Feulner 2011). Globally, the native range of this species spans from northeastern Iraq to central Asia and Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species occurs in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003), the Ru'us al-Jibal mountains, the Wadi Wurayah National Park, and in the Olive Highlands (Feulner 2011, 2016). It has been recorded at altitudes up to 1,900 m (Feulner 2011). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of this species is 5,714 km². Individual records include the upper parts of Wadi Sfai (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It has also been recorded from Jebel Hafeet and from the Al Ain area. Globally, this species occurs in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan and India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

This species occurs in the Ru'us al-Jibal Mountains in the UAE, typically above 800-900 m altitude (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). The estimated EOO of this species is approximately 200 km². Globally, this species occurs in the Middle East and Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

Within the UAE, this species occurs along the western slopes of the Hajar Mountains from Shawka, south to the border with Oman (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). The species also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (Perry 2008) on the northern summit wadi on Jebel Hafeet (at almost 1,000 m asl; G.R. Feulner, in lit. MEW 2010), where it persists (S. Sakkir and G. Brown pers. comm. 2018). According to G.R. Feulner (in lit. MEW 2010), this species ""is consistently present as one or a few clumps/groves in almost every wadi from Shawka south [to the Oman border], normally at places where the wadi broadens for one reason or another and silt accumulates. It is relatively common in the wadis in the greater Juwaif area, about half-way between the Hatta Road and Mahdhah."" The Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium (SSBH) recorded the species from the Al Dhaid-Masafi road (Thaoban), and found four new clumps of the plant in Al-Bardy and Al-Wishah (in gravelly area east of Dhaid); these clumps are located inside farms, and local people reported that ""...they planted it"" a long time ago (T. Mahmoud pers. comm. 2019). The EOO is estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 km², whilst the AOO is less than 500 km²and is likely to be as little as 300 km². The species also occurs in adjacent areas of Oman (G.R. Feulner in lit. MEW 2010). Globally, the species is native from the southern Arabian Peninsula to Iran and Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RGB Kew 2018).