Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Laos
Laos: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 18.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Laos, 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
Laos recorded 18.8% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025.
That represents a change of up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Laos peaked at 19.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2013.
Laos ranks 95th 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 Laos, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 16.7% | — |
| 2014 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 18.7% | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.0% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 18.8% | +0.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 18.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 18.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.8%, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 18.7% | 19.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 92 United Arab Emirates 19.2% compare
- 93 Pakistan 19.1% compare
- 94 Equatorial Guinea 19.0% compare
- 95 Latvia 18.8% compare
- 97 Saudi Arabia 18.5% compare
- 98 Thailand 18.4% compare
More climate change data for Laos
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 11,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,980 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,484 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 11.25 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 303.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,806 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 581.36 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,224 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.19 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 79.45 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Laos?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Laos was 18.8% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2013.
- How does Laos rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Laos ranks 95th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.
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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.