Terrestrial and marine protected areas in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 42.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 42.1% 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 153.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 42.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2013.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8th out of 213 countries 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 11.3% | — |
| 2014 | 19.7% | +74.3% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | -15.7% |
| 2016 | 23.3% | +40.4% |
| 2017 | 28.9% | +24.0% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 29.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 40.3% | +39.0% |
| 2021 | 39.9% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 39.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 39.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 42.1% | +5.5% |
| 2025 | 42.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 22.5% | 11.3% | 29.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 40.7% | 39.9% | 42.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 5 French Polynesia 87.3% compare
- 6 Bhutan 51.6% compare
- 7 Liechtenstein 44.8% compare
- 9 Hong Kong, China 42.0% compare
- 10 Zambia 41.3% compare
- 11 Slovenia 40.1% compare
More climate change data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 370.74 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.49 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 2.9% (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 42.1% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 8th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 153.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.