Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Terrestrial protected areas was 24.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 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
In 2025, terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) stood at 24.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 24.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.7%, in 2013.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 22.7% | — |
| 2014 | 24.3% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.7% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 24.0% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 24.4% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 24.5% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 24.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.6% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 24.8% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 24.9% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 24.9% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.8% | 22.7% | 24.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 24.7% | 24.5% | 24.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 1 Seychelles 68.1% compare
- 2 New Caledonia 59.6% compare
- 3 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 56.8% compare
- 4 Bhutan 51.6% compare
- 5 Liechtenstein 44.8% compare
- 6 Bulgaria 44.3% compare
- 7 Turks and Caicos Islands 43.5% compare
More climate change data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Urban population 510.21 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.6817 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9795 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.814 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 81.4% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 626.81 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 24.9% 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.7% in 2013.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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.