Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Terrestrial protected areas was 12.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 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
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 12.1% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 12.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2014.
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 39th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 10.2% | — |
| 2014 | 8.9% | -12.7% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 9.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 9.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | +23.4% |
| 2021 | 11.7% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 11.7% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.0% | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 12.1% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.1% | 8.9% | 10.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 11.2% | 12.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 36 Brazil 30.6% compare
- 36 Trinidad and Tobago 30.6% compare
- 38 Japan 29.7% compare
- 39 Austria 29.6% compare
- 40 Mozambique 29.5% compare
- 41 Malta 29.0% compare
- 41 North Macedonia 29.0% compare
More climate change data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 462.56 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 319.88 million (2025)
- Urban population 69.2% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.0% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 300.46 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 5.8% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 9.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 3.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 12.1% 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 protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2014.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.
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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.