Costa Rica vs Europe & Central Asia: Marine protected areas
Marine protected areas over time
- Costa Rica
- Europe & Central Asia
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 28.4% against 8.7% in Europe & Central Asia, a difference of 19.7%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 3.3 times Europe & Central Asia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 13 shared years of data; in 2013 it was Europe & Central Asia ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 18th and Europe & Central Asia ranks 17th of 174 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Europe & Central Asia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Europe & Central Asia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.1% | 5.6% | 4.5% | Europe & Central Asia |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 8.3% | 11.7% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher marine protected areas, Costa Rica or Europe & Central Asia?
- Costa Rica, at 28.4% against 8.7% in Europe & Central Asia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in marine protected areas between Costa Rica and Europe & Central Asia?
- 19.7%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Europe & Central Asia?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Europe & Central Asia rank globally for marine protected areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 18th and Europe & Central Asia ranks 17th 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.