Marine protected areas in Mexico

Mexico: Marine protected areas was 22.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
22.6%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
25th
of 174 countries
All-time high
22.6%
in 2024
All-time low
1.9%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Marine protected areas in Mexico, 2013–2025

05101520252013201920252013: 1.9 % of territorial waters2014: 1.9 % of territorial waters2015: 1.9 % of territorial waters2016: 21.8 % of territorial waters2017: 21.8 % of territorial waters2018: 21.6 % of territorial waters2019: 21.6 % of territorial waters2020: 21.6 % of territorial waters2021: 21.6 % of territorial waters2022: 21.6 % of territorial waters2023: 21.6 % of territorial waters2024: 22.6 % of territorial waters2025: 22.6 % 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. Measured in % of territorial waters.

Analysis

The most recent figure for marine protected areas in Mexico is 22.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1,089.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, marine protected areas in Mexico peaked at 22.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2013.

Mexico ranks 25th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Marine protected areas in Mexico, year by year

Annual values for Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) in Mexico, 2013 to 2025.
Year % of territorial waters Change
2013 1.9%
2014 1.9% +0.0%
2015 1.9% +0.0%
2016 21.8% +1047.4%
2017 21.8% +0.0%
2018 21.6% -0.9%
2019 21.6% +0.0%
2020 21.6% +0.0%
2021 21.6% +0.0%
2022 21.6% +0.0%
2023 21.6% +0.0%
2024 22.6% +4.6%
2025 22.6% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 13.2% 1.9% 21.8% 7
2020s 21.9% 21.6% 22.6% 6

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 22 Panama 26.3% compare
  2. 23 Poland 24.0% compare
  3. 24 Lithuania 23.2% compare
  4. 26 Ukraine 21.6% compare
  5. 27 Romania 21.5% compare
  6. 28 Bahrain 21.4% compare

See the full ranking of 221 places →

More climate change data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is marine protected areas in Mexico?
Marine protected areas in Mexico was 22.6% 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 Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 22.6% in 2024.
What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2013.
How does Mexico rank for marine protected areas?
Mexico ranks 25th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is marine protected areas rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is up 1,089.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Mexico 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.

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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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Marine protected areas in Mexico. 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 27 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/marine-protected-areas-percent-of-territorial-waters/mexico/

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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.