Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 15.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia, 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 Europe & Central Asia is 15.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 15.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 2014.
Europe & Central Asia ranks 26th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14.3% | — |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 13.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 13.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 13.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | +12.7% |
| 2021 | 15.6% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 15.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.5% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 15.9% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 15.9% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.5% | 13.2% | 14.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 15.1% | 15.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More climate change data for Europe & Central Asia
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population 690.74 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 932.52 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.4262 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.7407 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5661 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 24.89 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Europe & Central Asia was 15.9% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 15.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 2014.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.