Terrestrial protected areas in Germany

Germany: Terrestrial protected areas was 39.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
39.2%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
18th
of 213 countries
All-time high
39.3%
in 2024
All-time low
37.4%
in 2014
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Terrestrial protected areas in Germany, 2013–2025

0102030402013201920252013: 37.9 % of total land area2014: 37.4 % of total land area2015: 37.4 % of total land area2016: 37.8 % of total land area2017: 37.8 % of total land area2018: 37.8 % of total land area2019: 37.4 % of total land area2020: 37.8 % of total land area2021: 37.5 % of total land area2022: 37.6 % of total land area2023: 37.6 % of total land area2024: 39.3 % of total land area2025: 39.2 % of total land area

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 Germany is 39.2%, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Germany peaked at 39.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.4%, in 2014.

That places Germany 18th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

Terrestrial protected areas in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Germany, 2013 to 2025.
Year % of total land area Change
2013 37.9%
2014 37.4% -1.3%
2015 37.4% +0.0%
2016 37.8% +1.1%
2017 37.8% +0.0%
2018 37.8% +0.0%
2019 37.4% -1.1%
2020 37.8% +1.1%
2021 37.5% -0.8%
2022 37.6% +0.3%
2023 37.6% +0.0%
2024 39.3% +4.5%
2025 39.2% -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 37.6% 37.4% 37.9% 7
2020s 38.2% 37.5% 39.3% 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 16 Cambodia 39.8% compare
  2. 17 Poland 39.6% compare
  3. 19 Luxembourg 39.1% compare
  4. 20 Armenia 38.9% compare
  5. 21 Cyprus 38.6% compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More climate change data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is terrestrial protected areas in Germany?
Terrestrial protected areas in Germany was 39.2% 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 Germany?
The highest recorded value was 39.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 37.4% in 2014.
How does Germany rank for terrestrial protected areas?
Germany ranks 18th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Germany 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Terrestrial protected areas in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas-percent-of-total-land-area/germany/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas-percent-of-total-land-area/germany/">Terrestrial protected areas in Germany</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
Unit
% of total land area
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 3,357 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.