Terrestrial protected areas in Arab World
Arab World: Terrestrial protected areas was 6.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Terrestrial protected areas in Arab World, 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 land area.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 6.4% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and down 32.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Arab World peaked at 11.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2021.
That places Arab World 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 8.7% | — |
| 2014 | 11.8% | +35.9% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | -45.7% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -27.7% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.2% | +46.9% |
| 2024 | 6.2% | +17.9% |
| 2025 | 6.4% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.2% | 5.0% | 11.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 3.6% | 6.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 39 Austria 29.6% compare
- 40 Mozambique 29.5% compare
- 41 Malta 29.0% compare
- 41 North Macedonia 29.0% compare
- 43 Oman 28.9% compare
- 44 France 28.8% compare
- 45 United Kingdom 28.4% compare
More climate change data for Arab World
- Population growth 2.2% (2025)
- Population, total 503.36 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Urban population 302.20 million (2025)
- Urban population 60.0% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 230.73 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 205.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 5.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 3.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Arab World?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Arab World was 6.4% 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 protected areas recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 11.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2021.
- How does Arab World rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Arab World ranks 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World 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 protected areas (% of total land 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 areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.