Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 13.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia, 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 total territorial area.
Analysis
In 2025, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia stood at 13.2%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 13.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2014.
That places Europe & Central Asia 20th 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.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 10.3% | — |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 12.4% | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 12.9% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 13.0% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 13.2% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More climate change data for Europe & Central Asia
- Population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total 932.52 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 690.74 million (2025)
- Urban population 74.1% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 21.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 476.01 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 6.7% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 15.9% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 8.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Europe & Central Asia was 13.2% 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 terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2014.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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 Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area). 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
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. 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. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.