World rankings / DATA EXPLORER

THE GLOBAL INDEX #107

Terrestrial protected areas2020

Terrestrial protected areas as a percentage of land area.

World Bank
Comparable ranking year2025Latest published year: 2025
Economies with data212 / 217No observation: 5
First-ranked country or territorySeychelles61.5 %

Top 10

% · 2020

Complete ranking

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Terrestrial protected areas · 2020 · %
RankCountry / territoryValue (%)Year
01Seychelles61.52020
02New Caledonia59.72020
03Venezuela56.92020
04Luxembourg51.22020
05Bhutan49.72020
06Brunei46.92020
07Turks & Caicos Islands44.42020
08Palau44.22020
09Liechtenstein42.62020
10Hong Kong SAR China41.92020
11Zambia41.32020
12Greenland41.12020
13Bulgaria412020
14Slovenia40.42020
15Cambodia39.72020
16Poland39.52020
17Cyprus38.62020
18Croatia38.42020
19Tanzania38.22020
20Namibia37.92020
21Germany37.82020
22Slovakia37.62020
23Belize37.52020
24Congo - Brazzaville36.82020
25Bahamas36.62020
26Guinea35.82020
27Greece35.22020
28Comoros33.82020
29New Zealand33.42020
30Monaco33.22020
31Panama31.92020
32Bolivia30.92020
33Malta30.62020
33Trinidad & Tobago30.62020
35Brazil30.32020
36Sri Lanka29.92020
37Benin29.62020
38Mozambique29.52020
39Japan29.42020
40São Tomé & Príncipe29.32020
41Austria29.12020
41Botswana29.12020
43United Kingdom28.72020
44Costa Rica28.42020
45Spain28.12020
46Togo282020
47France27.32020
48Zimbabwe27.22020
49Andorra26.72020
50Guinea-Bissau26.32020
51Dominican Republic26.22020
52Senegal25.42020
53Israel24.52020
53Romania24.52020
55Armenia24.32020
56Nepal23.62020
57Honduras23.52020
58Côte d’Ivoire232020
59St. Kitts & Nevis22.92020
59Malawi22.92020
59Portugal22.92020
62Hungary22.62020
63Netherlands22.52020
64Ecuador22.42020
64Gabon22.42020
64Kiribati22.42020
64St. Vincent & Grenadines22.42020
68Tajikistan22.32020
69Czechia22.22020
70Dominica222020
71Peru21.62020
72Italy21.52020
73Nicaragua21.32020
74Estonia21.22020
75Antigua & Barbuda212020
75Chad212020
77Chile20.92020
78Australia20.32020
79Guatemala20.12020
80Iceland19.92020
81Mongolia19.82020
82United Arab Emirates19.42020
83Equatorial Guinea19.32020
84Aruba18.92020
85Laos18.72020
85St. Lucia18.72020
87Albania18.62020
88Thailand18.52020
89Latvia18.22020
89Niger18.22020
91Central African Republic18.12020
92Norway17.62020
93Kuwait17.12020
94Denmark172020
94Lithuania172020
96Colombia16.92020
97South Korea16.72020
98Burkina Faso16.42020
99Cuba16.22020
100Ethiopia16.12020
100Uganda16.12020
102Timor-Leste162020
103Jamaica15.92020
104Qatar15.82020
105Curaçao15.72020
106China15.62020
107South Sudan15.52020
108Belgium15.42020
108Philippines15.42020
110Ghana14.82020
111Mexico14.52020
111Suriname14.52020
111Sweden14.52020
114Ireland14.42020
115Paraguay14.32020
116Nigeria13.92020
117Congo - Kinshasa13.82020
117Montenegro13.82020
119Finland13.32020
119Malaysia13.32020
119U.S. Virgin Islands13.32020
122Tuvalu13.22020
123Egypt13.12020
124St. Martin12.82020
125Tonga12.62020
126Kenya12.42020
127Pakistan12.32020
128Indonesia12.22020
129Switzerland122020
130Marshall Islands11.92020
131United States11.82020
132Russia11.52020
133Cameroon10.92020
134Cayman Islands10.82020
135Azerbaijan10.22020
136Kazakhstan102020
137Canada9.92020
138Grenada9.52020
139Belarus9.42020
139Sierra Leone9.42020
141Georgia9.32020
142Rwanda9.12020
142British Virgin Islands9.12020
144North Macedonia92020
145Iran8.62020
145El Salvador8.62020
145South Africa8.62020
148Argentina8.52020
148Guyana8.52020
150Palestinian Territories8.42020
151Samoa8.22020
152Tunisia7.92020
153Gambia7.72020
153Northern Mariana Islands7.72020
155Burundi7.62020
155Serbia7.62020
155Vietnam7.62020
158Madagascar7.52020
158Mali7.52020
160Puerto Rico7.22020
161Haiti7.12020
162Angola72020
163Kyrgyzstan6.72020
164Bahrain6.62020
164Myanmar (Burma)6.62020
166India62020
167Uzbekistan5.82020
168Singapore5.62020
169Isle of Man5.52020
170Fiji5.42020
171Eritrea4.92020
172Saudi Arabia4.82020
173Gibraltar4.72020
173Mauritius4.72020
175Bangladesh4.62020
175Algeria4.62020
177Jordan4.52020
178Morocco4.32020
178Eswatini4.32020
178Ukraine4.32020
181Moldova4.22020
181Vanuatu4.22020
183Liberia4.12020
184Papua New Guinea3.72020
184Uruguay3.72020
186Afghanistan3.62020
186Bosnia & Herzegovina3.62020
188Turkmenistan3.22020
189Cape Verde2.92020
190Guam2.72020
191Lebanon2.62020
191Oman2.62020
193North Korea2.42020
194Faroe Islands2.32020
194Maldives2.32020
194Sudan2.32020
197Bermuda2.12020
198French Polynesia22020
199Solomon Islands1.82020
200Djibouti1.62020
201Iraq1.52020
202Barbados1.32020
203American Samoa0.82020
203Yemen0.82020
205Syria0.72020
206Mauritania0.62020
207Lesotho0.52020
208Türkiye0.22020
209Libya0.12020
210Micronesia02020
210Somalia02020
210Sint Maarten02020

How this ranking works

For annual statistics, the default is the newest year covering at least 70% of the maximum available country coverage, and at least 20 economies where possible. A ranking uses one year or report edition; missing observations are not replaced with another year. Newer years with lower coverage can be selected.

Intentional homicide rates and peace scores rank from lowest to highest; other indicators rank from highest to lowest. Ranks use original values and competition ranking for ties, for example 1, 2, 2, 4. Filtering or changing display order does not recalculate global ranks. Higher values are not necessarily better.

Statistics reflect the public source snapshot, not live measurements. Some series are modeled estimates or multi-year averages. See original metadata.

No observation (5)

Channel Islands · Kosovo · Macao SAR China · Nauru · San Marino

Source & definition

Indicator definition
Terrestrial protected areas as a percentage of land area.
Unit
%
Source & definition
World Bank · ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
Open original source ↗
Original metadata
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.

{
  "id": "ER.LND.PTLD.ZS",
  "name": "Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)",
  "unit": "",
  "source": {
    "id": "2",
    "value": "World Development Indicators"
  },
  "sourceNote": "Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.",
  "sourceOrganization": "Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), uri: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, publisher: Protected Planet, date accessed: 20240516, date published: 202405;\nInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), uri: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, publisher: Protected Planet, date accessed: 20240516",
  "topics": [
    {
      "id": "19",
      "value": "Climate Change"
    },
    {
      "id": "6",
      "value": "Environment "
    }
  ]
}