Spain vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Marine protected areas
Marine protected areas over time
- Spain
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Spain currently reports 19.0% against 3.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 15.3%.
That makes Spain's figure about 5.1 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 13 shared years of data; in 2013 it was Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
Spain ranks 32nd and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 33rd of 174 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.8% | 3.0% | 3.9% | Spain |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 3.7% | 10.2% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher marine protected areas, Spain or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Spain, at 19.0% against 3.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in marine protected areas between Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 15.3%, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
- How do Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for marine protected areas?
- Spain ranks 32nd 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.