Terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Terrestrial protected areas was 16.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle 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
The most recent figure for terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle income is 16.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle income peaked at 16.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, in 2013.
That places Low & middle income 23rd out of 47 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 15.0% | — |
| 2014 | 15.7% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 16.1% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 16.3% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 16.4% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.4% | 15.0% | 15.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More climate change data for Low & middle income
- Population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 6.79 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 3.61 billion (2025)
- Urban population 53.1% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2,902 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 12.3% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 6.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle income?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Low & middle income was 16.4% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% in 2013.
- How does Low & middle income rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Low & middle income ranks 23rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle 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.
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.