Portugal vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Marine protected areas
Marine protected areas over time
- Portugal
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 16.9% against 3.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 13.2%.
That makes Portugal's figure about 4.5 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Portugal has been ahead every year.
Portugal ranks 35th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 33rd of 174 countries.
Portugal has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11.1% | 3.0% | 8.2% | Portugal |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 3.7% | 13.2% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher marine protected areas, Portugal or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Portugal, at 16.9% against 3.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in marine protected areas between Portugal and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 13.2%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
- How do Portugal and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for marine protected areas?
- Portugal ranks 35th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 33rd 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.