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Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
Environment
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
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.
World Bank code: ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
• Data available for 213 countries • Latest year: 2025
In ,
Seychelles
led Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) at 68.10.
The world median across 213 reporting countries was
17.00.
What this measures:
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.
How "Environment" indicators are measured
Environmental indicators cover emissions, land use, biodiversity, and natural resources. Emissions data is often produced by international scientific consortia (EDGAR, Global Carbon Project) and typically lags 2–3 years due to the complexity of fuel- and process-level accounting. Per-capita metrics reveal a different story than absolute totals — small wealthy countries can have high per-capita emissions while contributing little to the global total.
Distribution — 2025
Reporting
213 countries
Median
17.00
Mean
18.86
25th percentile
8.80
75th percentile
26.90
Range
0.00 – 68.10
World at a Glance — 2025
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2025
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Country
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
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