Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 24.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 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
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 24.2% for terrestrial and marine protected areas in 2025.
The figure is up 73.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 24.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 2013.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 2nd of 47 groups on this measure, 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13.3% | — |
| 2014 | 14.3% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 16.3% | +16.5% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 20.7% | +25.8% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 22.6% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 22.8% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 23.6% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 23.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 24.2% | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 24.2% | -0.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +25.8% | 16.5% | 20.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.8% | 13.3% | 22.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 22.6% | 24.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 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
More climate change data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Urban population 531.01 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.6898 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9853 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8151 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 81.5% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 651.47 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 24.2% 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 24.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 2013.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 2nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 73.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.