Marine protected areas in European Union
European Union: Marine protected areas was 16.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Marine protected areas in European Union, 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 European Union stood at 16.8%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 119.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marine protected areas in European Union peaked at 16.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2013.
That places European Union 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Marine protected areas in European Union, year by year
| Year | % of territorial waters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6.4% | — |
| 2014 | 6.5% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 7.7% | +18.4% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | +21.1% |
| 2017 | 12.4% | +33.9% |
| 2018 | 13.7% | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 15.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 15.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 16.8% | +8.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.1% | 6.4% | 14.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 15.3% | 16.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union
More climate change data for European Union
- Population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 451.13 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 339.13 million (2025)
- Urban population 75.2% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 17.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 186.14 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 13.7% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 26.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 21.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marine protected areas in European Union?
- Marine protected areas in European Union was 16.8% 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2013.
- How does European Union rank for marine protected areas?
- European Union ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is marine protected areas rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 119.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.