Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 5.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Republic of Korea, 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
Republic of Korea recorded 5.9% for terrestrial and marine protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 126.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Republic of Korea peaked at 5.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2013.
That places Republic of Korea 136th out of 213 countries 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 Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2.3% | — |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +13.0% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | +50.0% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 5.5% | +37.5% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 5.9% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.3% | 5.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 5.9% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 133 Iran, Islamic Republic of 7.0% compare
- 134 Cuba 6.9% compare
- 135 Kyrgyzstan 6.8% compare
- 136 Bangladesh 5.9% compare
- 138 Qatar 5.8% compare
- 139 Türkiye 5.7% compare
More climate change data for Republic of Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 668.25 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 2.54 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Republic of Korea?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Republic of Korea was 5.9% 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 Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2013.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Republic of Korea ranks 136th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 126.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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.