Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 2.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
2.3%
Change on year
up 9.5%
World rank
167th
of 213 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 2025
All-time low
0.5%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico, 2013–2025

0.511.522.52013201920252013: 0.5 % of total territorial area2014: 2 % of total territorial area2015: 2 % of total territorial area2016: 2 % of total territorial area2017: 2 % of total territorial area2018: 2 % of total territorial area2019: 2 % of total territorial area2020: 2.1 % of total territorial area2021: 2.1 % of total territorial area2022: 2.1 % of total territorial area2023: 2.1 % of total territorial area2024: 2.1 % of total territorial area2025: 2.3 % of total territorial area

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 Puerto Rico is 2.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 9.5% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico peaked at 2.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2013.

Puerto Rico ranks 167th of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico, year by year

Annual values for Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area) in Puerto Rico, 2013 to 2025.
Year % of total territorial area Change
2013 0.5%
2014 2.0% +300.0%
2015 2.0% +0.0%
2016 2.0% +0.0%
2017 2.0% +0.0%
2018 2.0% +0.0%
2019 2.0% +0.0%
2020 2.1% +5.0%
2021 2.1% +0.0%
2022 2.1% +0.0%
2023 2.1% +0.0%
2024 2.1% +0.0%
2025 2.3% +9.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.8% 0.5% 2.0% 7
2020s 2.1% 2.1% 2.3% 6

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

  1. 166 Uruguay 2.4% compare
  2. 168 El Salvador 2.1% compare
  3. 168 Singapore 2.1% compare
  4. 170 Trinidad and Tobago 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More climate change data for Puerto Rico

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico?
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico was 2.3% 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 Puerto Rico?
The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Puerto Rico?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2013.
How does Puerto Rico rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
Puerto Rico ranks 167th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Puerto Rico 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.

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Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Puerto Rico. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-and-marine-protected-areas-percent-of-total-territorial-area/puerto-rico-us/

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About this data

Indicator
Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area)
Unit
% of total territorial area
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 3,357 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.