Terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Terrestrial protected areas was 8.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 8.7%.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 13.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2021.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 43rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 10.0% | — |
| 2014 | 13.1% | +31.2% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | -17.8% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | -38.3% |
| 2017 | 6.8% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | -18.5% |
| 2021 | 5.5% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | +31.6% |
| 2024 | 8.6% | +19.8% |
| 2025 | 8.7% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.7% | 6.6% | 13.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 5.5% | 8.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 40 Mozambique 29.5% compare
- 41 Malta 29.0% compare
- 41 North Macedonia 29.0% compare
- 43 Oman 28.9% compare
- 44 France 28.8% compare
- 45 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 28.4% compare
- 46 Zimbabwe 28.3% compare
More climate change data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Urban population 463.33 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 2.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.5596 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 56.0% (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Population, total 828.02 million (2025)
- Population growth 1.8% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 8.7% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2014.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2021.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 43rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.