Terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Terrestrial protected areas was 17.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific, 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
The most recent figure for terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific is 17.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 17.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 2013.
That places East Asia & Pacific 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14.7% | — |
| 2014 | 15.4% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 17.1% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 16.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 17.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.6% | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 17.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.0% | 14.7% | 17.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.3% | 17.1% | 17.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 7 Turks and Caicos Islands 43.5% compare
- 8 Guinea 42.6% compare
- 9 Hong Kong, China 42.0% compare
- 10 Greenland 41.9% compare
- 11 Zambia 41.3% compare
- 12 Slovenia 40.4% compare
- 13 Brunei Darussalam 39.9% compare
- 13 Namibia 39.9% compare
- 13 Tanzania, United Republic of 39.9% compare
More climate change data for East Asia & Pacific
- Population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 2.39 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 1.55 billion (2025)
- Urban population 64.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1,212 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 12.1% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 22.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 24.1% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.98 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific?
- Terrestrial protected areas in East Asia & Pacific was 17.6% 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 East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 17.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 2013.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.