Marine protected areas in Sweden

Sweden: Marine protected areas was 16.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
16.1%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
38th
of 174 countries
All-time high
16.1%
in 2025
All-time low
7.0%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Marine protected areas in Sweden, 2013–2025

0510152013201920252013: 7 % of territorial waters2014: 8 % of territorial waters2015: 8 % of territorial waters2016: 8.2 % of territorial waters2017: 15.2 % of territorial waters2018: 15.2 % of territorial waters2019: 15.4 % of territorial waters2020: 15.4 % of territorial waters2021: 15.8 % of territorial waters2022: 15.8 % of territorial waters2023: 15.8 % of territorial waters2024: 16 % of territorial waters2025: 16.1 % 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 Sweden is 16.1%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 101.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, marine protected areas in Sweden peaked at 16.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2013.

That places Sweden 38th out of 174 countries 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 Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) in Sweden, 2013 to 2025.
Year % of territorial waters Change
2013 7.0%
2014 8.0% +14.3%
2015 8.0% +0.0%
2016 8.2% +2.5%
2017 15.2% +85.4%
2018 15.2% +0.0%
2019 15.4% +1.3%
2020 15.4% +0.0%
2021 15.8% +2.6%
2022 15.8% +0.0%
2023 15.8% +0.0%
2024 16.0% +1.3%
2025 16.1% +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 11.0% 7.0% 15.4% 7
2020s 15.8% 15.4% 16.1% 6

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 35 Portugal 16.9% compare
  2. 36 Latvia 16.4% compare
  3. 37 Oman 16.2% compare
  4. 39 South Africa 15.4% compare
  5. 40 Gibraltar 14.2% compare
  6. 41 Congo 14.1% compare

See the full ranking of 221 places →

More climate change data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is marine protected areas in Sweden?
Marine protected areas in Sweden was 16.1% 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 2025.
What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2013.
How does Sweden rank for marine protected areas?
Sweden ranks 38th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is marine protected areas rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 101.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden. 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 29 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/marine-protected-areas-percent-of-territorial-waters/sweden/

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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.