Terrestrial protected areas in Japan
Japan: Terrestrial protected areas was 29.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 29.7% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Japan peaked at 29.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2013.
That places Japan 38th out of 213 countries 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 16.4% | — |
| 2014 | 19.4% | +18.3% |
| 2015 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29.4% | +51.5% |
| 2017 | 29.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29.7% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 29.5% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 29.7% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 24.7% | 16.4% | 29.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 29.4% | 29.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 35 Sri Lanka 30.8% compare
- 36 Brazil 30.6% compare
- 36 Trinidad and Tobago 30.6% 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 Japan
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 252.18 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Japan?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Japan was 29.7% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2013.
- How does Japan rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Japan ranks 38th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.