Marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Marine protected areas was 3.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 2013–2025
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. Measured in % of territorial waters.
Analysis
In 2025, marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 3.4%.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 3.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2014.
That places Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of territorial waters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3.1% | — |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3.4% | +7.7% |
| 2025 | 3.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
More climate change data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 462.56 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 319.88 million (2025)
- Urban population 69.2% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.0% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 300.46 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 5.8% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 12.1% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 9.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 3.4% in 2025, according to 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.
- What is the highest marine protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2014.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for marine protected areas?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is marine protected areas rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.