Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Terrestrial protected areas was 24.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 24.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 24.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.3%, in 2013.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 22.3% | — |
| 2014 | 23.8% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 23.5% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 23.5% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 24.1% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 24.5% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 24.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.3% | 22.3% | 23.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.1% | 24.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 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
- 8 Guinea 42.6% compare
More climate change data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Urban population 531.01 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.6898 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9853 % 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 81.5% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 651.47 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 24.5% 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.3% in 2013.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.