Population below five meters above sea level in South America in 2015 — 2.42%. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 0.19 pp.
1990–2015 · % of population
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South America
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2.42 | — |
| 2000 | 2.3 | — |
| 1990 | 2.23 | — |
The share of the population living less than five meters above sea level. The threshold is not arbitrary: this is the zone already threatened by storm surges and, over the coming century, by sea level rise. In absolute numbers the densely populated deltas of Asia come first; by share, island states and the Netherlands — and the latter show that a high share does not equal high risk, since everything depends on whether coastal defenses are in place.
Important: The series is not annual: the World Bank computes it from a digital elevation model for individual benchmark years, the latest of which is 2015, and has not updated it since. No one has fresher data of this kind; the values are best read as an order-of-magnitude estimate.
Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.
The area of a country excluding inland water bodies — the denominator for every land share.
Emissions CO2 emissionsAnnual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fuel and producing cement.
Environment Share of population in cities over 1 millionWhat share of a country's population lives in agglomerations larger than a million.
Environment Forest coverWhat share of a country's territory is covered by forest.
Environment Forest areaThe absolute area of forest in square kilometers.
Environment Protected areasThe share of land and sea under protection — nature reserves, national parks, sanctuaries.