Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in South Korea
South Korea: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 17.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in South Korea, 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 South Korea is 17.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 132.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in South Korea peaked at 17.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2013.
South Korea ranks 102nd of 213 countries 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6.6% | — |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +15.2% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11.2% | +47.4% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.7% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | +34.2% |
| 2020 | 16.7% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 17.0% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.4% | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 17.7% | +1.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 17.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 21.5%, 82% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 17.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.8%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +47.4% | 7.6% | 11.2% |
| 2019 | +34.2% | 11.7% | 15.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.2% | 6.6% | 15.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.1% | 16.7% | 17.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -0.1285 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1214 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8117 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -78.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in South Korea?
- Terrestrial protected areas in South Korea was 17.7% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2013.
- How does South Korea rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- South Korea ranks 102nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 132.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.