Australia vs European Union: Marine protected areas
Australia
45.4%
in 2025
European Union
16.8%
in 2025
Australia rank
9th
European Union rank
10th
Marine protected areas over time
- Australia
- European Union
How they compare
Australia currently reports 45.4% against 16.8% in European Union, a difference of 28.6%.
That makes Australia's figure about 2.7 times European Union's.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 9th and European Union ranks 10th of 174 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | European Union | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 42.0% | 10.1% | 31.9% | Australia |
| 2020s | 44.1% | 15.6% | 28.5% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher marine protected areas, Australia or European Union?
- Australia, at 45.4% against 16.8% in European Union as of 2025.
- What is the difference in marine protected areas between Australia and European Union?
- 28.6%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and European Union?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
- How do Australia and European Union rank globally for marine protected areas?
- Australia ranks 9th and European Union ranks 10th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- 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, published as Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.