Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Portugal
Portugal: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 17.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Portugal, 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
Portugal recorded 17.2% 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 0.6% on the previous year and up 129.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Portugal peaked at 17.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2013.
That places Portugal 72nd 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 7.4% | — |
| 2014 | 7.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | +21.3% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | +81.3% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 17.1% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 17.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 17.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.1% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 17.2% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11.7% | 7.4% | 16.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 17.1% | 17.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 70 Ukraine 17.9% compare
- 71 Georgia 17.4% compare
- 73 Ethiopia 17.0% compare
- 73 Saudi Arabia 17.0% compare
- 75 Burkina Faso 16.8% compare
More climate change data for Portugal
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 93.31 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,543 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,218 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,325 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 154.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 950.54 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 585.76 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 364.79 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.21 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Portugal?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Portugal was 17.2% 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2013.
- How does Portugal rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Portugal ranks 72nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 129.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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.