Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 24.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 Latin America & Caribbean is 24.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 24.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.3%, in 2013.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 6th out of 47 groups 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 (% of total land area) in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 22.3% | — |
| 2014 | 23.7% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 23.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 24.1% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 24.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 24.4% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 24.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.3% | 22.3% | 23.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.1% | 24.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More climate change data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population 543.31 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 666.59 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.6655 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8151 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9558 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 26.57 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & Caribbean was 24.4% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.3% in 2013.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.