Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 22.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding 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
The most recent figure for terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) is 22.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 46.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 22.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2013.
That places Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 4th 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14.8% | — |
| 2014 | 15.9% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | +11.8% |
| 2017 | 17.5% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 20.8% | +18.5% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 21.4% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 21.5% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 21.9% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 22.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 22.6% | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 22.6% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.6% | 14.8% | 21.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 22.0% | 21.4% | 22.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 1 Monaco 99.5% compare
- 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
More climate change data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Urban population 510.21 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.6817 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9795 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.814 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 81.4% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 626.81 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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 terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 22.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2013.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding 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.