Terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income
High income: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 22.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income, 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
High income recorded 22.2% for terrestrial and marine protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.7% on the previous year and up 52.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income peaked at 22.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2013.
That places High income 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12.5% | — |
| 2014 | 13.8% | +10.4% |
| 2015 | 14.5% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 16.6% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 18.0% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 18.5% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 18.2% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 18.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 18.7% | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 22.2% | +18.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.5% | 12.5% | 18.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 18.0% | 22.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near High income
- 2 Palau 98.0% compare
- 3 New Caledonia 96.0% compare
- 4 Saint Martin (French Part) 92.3% compare
- 5 French Polynesia 87.3% compare
- 6 Bhutan 51.6% compare
- 7 Liechtenstein 44.8% compare
- 8 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 42.1% compare
More climate change data for High income
- Population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total 1.42 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 1.14 billion (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 950.91 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 6.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.7% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 26.8% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.2 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in High income was 22.2% 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 High income?
- The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in High income?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2013.
- How does High income rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- High income ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in High income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this High income 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.