Terrestrial protected areas in Small states
Small states: Terrestrial protected areas was 16.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial protected areas in Small states, 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
Small states recorded 16.5% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025.
The figure is up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas in Small states peaked at 16.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 2013.
That places Small states 20th 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 Small states, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14.0% | — |
| 2014 | 14.4% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 14.8% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 15.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 15.8% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 16.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 16.5% | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 16.5% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.0% | 14.0% | 15.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.1% | 16.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More climate change data for Small states
- Population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population, total 20.35 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Urban population 10.60 million (2025)
- Urban population 52.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.28 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.2% (2022)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 7.5% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 7.2% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.16 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Small states?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Small states was 16.5% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 2013.
- How does Small states rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Small states ranks 20th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.