Terrestrial protected areas in South Korea
South Korea: Terrestrial protected areas 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 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% |
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 co2 vs population 0.2146 (2100)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 668.25 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 2.54 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share global cumulative co2 including land 0.7622 (2024)
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.