Terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Terrestrial protected areas was 26.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica, 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
Costa Rica recorded 26.6% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica peaked at 28.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 26.5%, in 2024.
Costa Rica ranks 55th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 27.6% | — |
| 2014 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 28.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 28.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 26.6% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 26.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 26.5% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 26.6% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 27.7% | 27.6% | 28.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 27.2% | 26.5% | 28.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,751 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 942.79 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,808 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 688.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 623.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 65.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.35 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.34 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Costa Rica was 26.6% 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 Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.5% in 2024.
- How does Costa Rica rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 55th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.