World rankings / DATA EXPLORER

THE GLOBAL INDEX #107

Terrestrial protected areas2021

Terrestrial protected areas as a percentage of land area.

World Bank
Comparable ranking year2025Latest published year: 2025
Economies with data213 / 217No observation: 4
First-ranked country or territorySeychelles61.5 %

Top 10

% · 2021

Complete ranking

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Terrestrial protected areas · 2021 · %
RankCountry / territoryValue (%)Year
01Seychelles61.52021
02New Caledonia59.72021
03Venezuela56.92021
04Luxembourg51.32021
05Bhutan49.72021
06Brunei46.92021
07Turks & Caicos Islands44.42021
08Palau44.22021
09Liechtenstein42.62021
10Hong Kong SAR China41.92021
11Greenland41.62021
12Zambia41.32021
13Bulgaria412021
14Slovenia40.42021
15Cambodia39.72021
16Poland39.52021
17Cyprus38.72021
18Croatia38.42021
19Tanzania38.22021
20Namibia37.92021
21Guinea37.62021
21Slovakia37.62021
23Belize37.52021
23Germany37.52021
25Congo - Brazzaville36.82021
26Bahamas36.62021
27Greece35.22021
28Comoros33.82021
29New Zealand33.42021
30Panama31.42021
31Bolivia30.92021
32Malta30.62021
32Trinidad & Tobago30.62021
34Brazil30.32021
35Sri Lanka29.92021
35Norway29.92021
37Japan29.72021
38Benin29.62021
39Mozambique29.52021
40Austria29.32021
40São Tomé & Príncipe29.32021
42Botswana29.12021
43Costa Rica28.42021
44Spain28.12021
45France282021
45Togo282021
47United Kingdom27.82021
48Zimbabwe27.22021
49Andorra26.92021
50Senegal26.42021
51Guinea-Bissau26.32021
52Dominican Republic26.22021
53Israel24.52021
53Romania24.52021
55Armenia24.32021
56Nepal23.62021
57Honduras23.52021
58Ecuador23.22021
59Côte d’Ivoire232021
60St. Kitts & Nevis22.92021
60Malawi22.92021
60Portugal22.92021
63Hungary22.62021
64Netherlands22.52021
65Gabon22.42021
65Kiribati22.42021
65St. Vincent & Grenadines22.42021
68Peru22.32021
68Tajikistan22.32021
70Czechia22.22021
71Dominica222021
72Italy21.52021
73Estonia21.32021
73Nicaragua21.32021
75Chad212021
76Chile20.92021
77Australia20.42021
78Iceland20.32021
79Guatemala20.12021
80Antigua & Barbuda19.92021
81Mongolia19.82021
82United Arab Emirates19.42021
83Equatorial Guinea19.32021
84Aruba18.92021
85Laos18.72021
85St. Lucia18.72021
87Albania18.62021
88Thailand18.52021
89Latvia18.22021
89Niger18.22021
91Central African Republic18.12021
92Kuwait17.12021
92Lithuania17.12021
94Denmark172021
94Ethiopia172021
94South Korea172021
97Colombia16.92021
98Burkina Faso16.42021
99Cuba16.22021
99Jamaica16.22021
101Uganda16.12021
102Timor-Leste162021
103Philippines15.92021
104American Samoa15.82021
104Qatar15.82021
106Curaçao15.72021
107China15.62021
108Belgium15.52021
108South Sudan15.52021
110Ghana14.82021
111Mexico14.52021
111Suriname14.52021
111Sweden14.52021
114Ireland14.42021
114U.S. Virgin Islands14.42021
116Paraguay14.32021
117Nigeria13.92021
118Belarus13.82021
118Congo - Kinshasa13.82021
118Montenegro13.82021
121Finland13.32021
121Malaysia13.32021
123Tuvalu13.22021
124Egypt13.12021
125Ukraine132021
125United States132021
127St. Martin12.82021
128Sierra Leone12.72021
129Tonga12.62021
130North Macedonia12.52021
131Kenya12.42021
132Pakistan12.32021
133Indonesia12.22021
134Switzerland12.12021
135Canada11.92021
135Marshall Islands11.92021
137Russia11.52021
138Moldova11.42021
139Cameroon112021
140Cayman Islands10.82021
141Azerbaijan10.22021
141Monaco10.22021
143Kazakhstan102021
144Grenada9.52021
145Georgia9.32021
146Rwanda9.12021
146British Virgin Islands9.12021
148South Africa8.72021
149Haiti8.62021
149Iran8.62021
149El Salvador8.62021
152Argentina8.52021
152Guyana8.52021
154Palestinian Territories8.42021
155Samoa8.22021
156Tunisia7.92021
157Gambia7.72021
157Northern Mariana Islands7.72021
159Burundi7.62021
159Serbia7.62021
159Vietnam7.62021
162India7.52021
162Madagascar7.52021
162Mali7.52021
165Puerto Rico7.42021
166Angola72021
166Türkiye72021
168Kyrgyzstan6.72021
169Bahrain6.62021
169Myanmar (Burma)6.62021
171Uzbekistan5.82021
172Singapore5.62021
173Isle of Man5.52021
174Fiji5.42021
175Saudi Arabia4.82021
176Gibraltar4.72021
176Mauritius4.72021
178Bangladesh4.62021
178Algeria4.62021
180Guam4.52021
180Jordan4.52021
182Eswatini4.32021
183Vanuatu4.22021
184Liberia4.12021
185Bosnia & Herzegovina42021
186Papua New Guinea3.72021
186Uruguay3.72021
188Afghanistan3.62021
188Oman3.62021
190Turkmenistan3.22021
191Cape Verde2.92021
192North Korea2.42021
193Faroe Islands2.32021
193Maldives2.32021
193Sudan2.32021
196Morocco2.22021
197Bermuda2.12021
198French Polynesia22021
199Lebanon1.92021
200Solomon Islands1.82021
201Djibouti1.62021
202Iraq1.52021
203Barbados1.32021
204Yemen0.82021
205Sint Maarten0.72021
205Syria0.72021
207Mauritania0.62021
208Lesotho0.52021
209Libya0.12021
210Eritrea02021
210Micronesia02021
210Nauru02021
210Somalia02021

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 (4)

Channel Islands · Kosovo · Macao SAR China · 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 "
    }
  ]
}