Environment

Protected areas

The share of land and sea under protection — nature reserves, national parks, sanctuaries.

Unit: % of territory Period: 2013–2025 Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank)
Average: 15.42% Countries: 213

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country. For all of them that is 2025.

Protected areas, 2025

Top-20 · % of territory

Protected areas, 20250255075100MonacoMonaco: 99.5%99.5PalauPalau: 98%98New CaledoniaNew Caledonia: 96%96Saint MartinSaint Martin: 92.3%92.3French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia: 87.3%87.3BhutanBhutan: 51.6%51.6LiechtensteinLiechtenstein: 44.8%44.8United KingdomUnited Kingdom: 42.1%42.1Hong KongHong Kong: 42%42ZambiaZambia: 41.3%41.3SloveniaSlovenia: 40.1%40.1GermanyGermany: 40%40LuxembourgLuxembourg: 39.1%39.1VenezuelaVenezuela: 39%39ArmeniaArmenia: 38.9%38.9PolandPoland: 38.1%38.1ChileChile: 37.9%37.9SlovakiaSlovakia: 37.5%37.5FranceFrance: 36.7%36.7BulgariaBulgaria: 35.6%35.6
Protected areas — 2025 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 MC Monaco 99.5 2025 1
2 PW Palau 98 2025 2
3 NC New Caledonia 96 2025 3
4 MF Saint Martin 92.3 2025 4
5 PF French Polynesia 87.3 2025 5
6 BT Bhutan 51.6 2025 6
7 LI Liechtenstein 44.8 2025 7
8 GB United Kingdom 42.1 2025 8
9 HK Hong Kong 42 2025 9
10 ZM Zambia 41.3 2025 10
11 SI Slovenia 40.1 2025 11
12 DE Germany 40 2025 12
13 LU Luxembourg 39.1 2025 13
14 VE Venezuela 39 2025 14
15 AM Armenia 38.9 2025 15
16 PL Poland 38.1 2025 16
17 CL Chile 37.9 2025 17
18 SK Slovakia 37.5 2025 18
19 FR France 36.7 2025 19
20 BG Bulgaria 35.6 2025 20
21 CG Republic of the Congo 34.2 2025 21
22 AU Australia 33.5 2025 22
23 SC Seychelles 32.6 2025 23
24 MP Northern Mariana Islands 32.4 2025 24
25 TZ Tanzania 32.3 2025 25
26 KH Cambodia 31.8 2025 26
27 BO Bolivia 30.9 2025 27
28 NZ New Zealand 30.6 2025 28
29 NL Netherlands 29.8 2025 29
30 AT Austria 29.6 2025 30
31 GN Guinea 29.6 2025 30
32 BR Brazil 29.4 2025 32
33 MK North Macedonia 29 2025 33
34 BJ Benin 28.8 2025 34
35 ZW Zimbabwe 28.3 2025 35
36 CR Costa Rica 28.2 2025 36
37 BW Botswana 27.6 2025 37
38 AD Andorra 27.3 2025 38
39 PA Panama 27.2 2025 39
40 BZ Belize 26.8 2025 40
41 CO Colombia 26.5 2025 41
42 GA Gabon 24.4 2025 42
43 NA Namibia 24.4 2025 42
44 RO Romania 24.3 2025 44
45 HR Croatia 24.1 2025 45
46 DK Denmark 23.8 2025 46
47 NP Nepal 23.6 2025 47
48 LS Lesotho 23.4 2025 48
49 MW Malawi 23.1 2025 49
50 GL Greenland 22.6 2025 50
51 TJ Tajikistan 22.6 2025 50
52 HU Hungary 22.3 2025 52
53 ES Spain 22.1 2025 53
54 TG Togo 22.1 2025 53
55 CZ Czechia 21.9 2025 55
56 TD Chad 21 2025 56
57 NE Niger 21 2025 56
58 OM Oman 20.8 2025 58
59 BH Bahrain 20.6 2025 59
60 EE Estonia 20.5 2025 60
61 EC Ecuador 20.2 2025 61
62 MX Mexico 19.9 2025 62
63 MN Mongolia 19.8 2025 63
64 LA Laos 18.8 2025 64
65 BE Belgium 18.6 2025 65
66 LT Lithuania 18.4 2025 66
67 LV Latvia 18.1 2025 67
68 AL Albania 18 2025 68
69 MZ Mozambique 18 2025 68
70 UA Ukraine 17.9 2025 70
71 GE Georgia 17.4 2025 71
72 PT Portugal 17.2 2025 72
73 ET Ethiopia 17 2025 73
74 SA Saudi Arabia 17 2025 73
75 BF Burkina Faso 16.8 2025 75
76 SN Senegal 16.6 2025 76
77 PE Peru 16.5 2025 77
78 ME Montenegro 16.3 2025 78
79 UG Uganda 16.1 2025 79
80 AE United Arab Emirates 16.1 2025 79
81 SE Sweden 15.9 2025 81
82 US United States 15.8 2025 82
83 SS South Sudan 15.4 2025 83
84 DO Dominican Republic 15.3 2025 84
85 PK Pakistan 15.2 2025 85
86 JP Japan 15.1 2025 86
87 CI Côte d'Ivoire 14.9 2025 87
88 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 14.9 2025 87
89 PY Paraguay 14.9 2025 87
90 CF Central African Republic 14.8 2025 90
91 IT Italy 14.8 2025 90
92 CN China 14.7 2025 92
93 GI Gibraltar 14.4 2025 93
94 UZ Uzbekistan 14.1 2025 94
95 RS Serbia 14 2025 95
96 FI Finland 13.5 2025 96
97 TH Thailand 13.4 2025 97
98 GW Guinea-Bissau 13.2 2025 98
99 ZA South Africa 12.9 2025 99
100 CH Switzerland 12.5 2025 100
101 IL Israel 12.2 2025 101
102 AZ Azerbaijan 12 2025 102
103 KI Kiribati 11.9 2025 103
104 KZ Kazakhstan 11.8 2025 104
105 KE Kenya 11.8 2025 104
106 CA Canada 11.6 2025 106
107 EG Egypt 11.6 2025 106
108 NG Nigeria 11.6 2025 106
109 KW Kuwait 11.5 2025 109
110 MD Moldova 11.5 2025 109
111 GR Greece 11.2 2025 111
112 CY Cyprus 11.1 2025 112
113 HN Honduras 11.1 2025 112
114 CM Cameroon 11 2025 114
115 GT Guatemala 10.2 2025 115
116 NI Nicaragua 10.1 2025 116
117 PS Palestine 10 2025 117
118 AR Argentina 9.7 2025 118
119 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.5 2025 119
120 BY Belarus 9.2 2025 120
121 RW Rwanda 9.1 2025 121
122 AS American Samoa 8.7 2025 122
123 RU Russia 8.6 2025 123
124 SR Suriname 8.6 2025 123
125 MY Malaysia 8.4 2025 125
126 BS Bahamas 8.3 2025 126
127 MT Malta 8 2025 127
128 GH Ghana 7.9 2025 128
129 AO Angola 7.7 2025 129
130 BI Burundi 7.6 2025 130
131 BN Brunei Darussalam 7.5 2025 131
132 ML Mali 7.5 2025 131
133 IR Iran 7 2025 133
134 CU Cuba 6.9 2025 134
135 KG Kyrgyzstan 6.8 2025 135
136 BD Bangladesh 5.9 2025 136
137 KR South Korea 5.9 2025 136
138 QA Qatar 5.8 2025 138
139 TR Türkiye 5.7 2025 139
140 JO Jordan 5.4 2025 140
141 NO Norway 5.4 2025 140
142 ID Indonesia 5.2 2025 142
143 TN Tunisia 5.2 2025 142
144 GY Guyana 5.1 2025 144
145 MG Madagascar 5.1 2025 144
146 SL Sierra Leone 5.1 2025 144
147 KN Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.8 2025 147
148 LB Lebanon 4.7 2025 148
149 SX Sint Maarten 4.7 2025 148
150 TL Timor-Leste 4.7 2025 148
151 IM Isle of Man 4.6 2025 151
152 IN India 4.5 2025 152
153 DZ Algeria 4.4 2025 153
154 TM Turkmenistan 4.3 2025 154
155 SZ Eswatini 4.2 2025 155
156 MM Myanmar 4.1 2025 156
157 IE Ireland 4 2025 157
158 LK Sri Lanka 3.7 2025 158
159 AF Afghanistan 3.6 2025 159
160 PH Philippines 3.6 2025 159
161 SD Sudan 3.3 2025 161
162 HT Haiti 3 2025 162
163 GM Gambia 2.9 2025 163
164 IS Iceland 2.9 2025 163
165 VN Vietnam 2.9 2025 163
166 UY Uruguay 2.4 2025 166
167 PR Puerto Rico 2.3 2025 167
168 SV El Salvador 2.1 2025 168
169 SG Singapore 2.1 2025 168
170 TT Trinidad and Tobago 2 2025 170
171 GQ Equatorial Guinea 1.8 2025 171
172 JM Jamaica 1.6 2025 172
173 IQ Iraq 1.5 2025 173
174 MA Morocco 1.4 2025 174
175 KP North Korea 1.3 2025 175
176 DJ Djibouti 1.2 2025 176
177 LR Liberia 1.2 2025 176
178 FJ Fiji 1 2025 178
179 MR Mauritania 1 2025 178
180 LC Saint Lucia 1 2025 178
181 VI United States Virgin Islands 0.9 2025 181
182 AG Antigua and Barbuda 0.8 2025 182
183 KM Comoros 0.7 2025 183
184 PG Papua New Guinea 0.7 2025 183
185 SY Syria 0.7 2025 183
186 YE Yemen 0.7 2025 183
187 AW Aruba 0.6 2025 187
188 DM Dominica 0.6 2025 187
189 VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.5 2025 189
190 TC Turks and Caicos Islands 0.5 2025 189
191 CW Curaçao 0.3 2025 191
192 MH Marshall Islands 0.3 2025 191
193 WS Samoa 0.3 2025 191
194 CV Cabo Verde 0.2 2025 194
195 GD Grenada 0.2 2025 194
196 LY Libya 0.2 2025 194
197 ST Sao Tome and Principe 0.2 2025 194
198 SB Solomon Islands 0.2 2025 194
199 BB Barbados 0.1 2025 199
200 KY Cayman Islands 0.1 2025 199
201 MV Maldives 0.1 2025 199
202 TO Tonga 0.1 2025 199
203 VU Vanuatu 0.1 2025 199
204 BM Bermuda 0 2025 204
205 VG British Virgin Islands 0 2025 204
206 ER Eritrea 0 2025 204
207 FO Faroe Islands 0 2025 204
208 GU Guam 0 2025 204
209 MU Mauritius 0 2025 204
210 FM Micronesia 0 2025 204
211 NR Nauru 0 2025 204
212 SO Somalia 0 2025 204
213 TV Tuvalu 0 2025 204
Nothing found. Check the spelling of the name.
Maximum 99.5%
Median 11.6%
Minimum 0%
World 16.98%

About the indicator

The share of terrestrial and marine protected areas in the total area of a country: national parks, nature reserves, natural monuments, sanctuaries and other IUCN categories. The target set by the Kunming-Montreal framework is 30 percent of land and sea under protection by 2030.

Important: The aggregate is weighted by total area rather than land area: protected areas include marine waters as well.

Updates
quarterly
Unit of measurement
% of territory
Observation period
2013–2025
License
CC BY 4.0
Dataset
World Development Indicators