Portugal vs United States of America: Marine protected areas

Portugal
16.9%
in 2025
United States of America
19.0%
in 2025
Portugal rank
35th
United States of America rank
32nd

Marine protected areas over time

  • Portugal
  • United States of America
10203040201320192025

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 19.0% against 16.9% in Portugal, a difference of 2.1%.

That makes United States of America's figure about 1.1 times Portugal's.

Across all 13 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

Portugal ranks 35th and United States of America ranks 32nd of 174 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Portugal United States of America Difference Ahead
2010s 11.1% 30.9% 19.8% United States of America
2020s 16.8% 22.1% 5.2% United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher marine protected areas, Portugal or United States of America?
United States of America, at 19.0% against 16.9% in Portugal as of 2025.
What is the difference in marine protected areas between Portugal and United States of America?
2.1%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and United States of America?
13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
How do Portugal and United States of America rank globally for marine protected areas?
Portugal ranks 35th and United States of America ranks 32nd 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.

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Portugal vs United States of America: Marine protected areas. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/marine-protected-areas-percent-of-territorial-waters/portugal/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters)
Unit
% of territorial waters
Source
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
221 places, 2,834 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.