Terrestrial protected areas in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Terrestrial protected areas was 15.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Least developed 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
Least developed countries recorded 15.2% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Least developed countries peaked at 15.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 2014.
That places Least developed countries 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13.8% | — |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 13.3% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 13.8% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 14.0% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 14.4% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 14.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 14.7% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 14.9% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 15.2% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 14.3% | 15.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More climate change data for Least developed countries
- Population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Population, total 1.21 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.6% (2025)
- Urban population 444.81 million (2025)
- Urban population 36.6% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 13.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 198.48 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 4.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 11.2% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 4.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Least developed countries?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Least developed countries was 15.2% 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 2014.
- How does Least developed countries rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Least developed countries ranks 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed 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.
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.