Mexico vs South Africa: Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas
Mexico
64.3%
in 2025
South Africa
63.0%
in 2025
Mexico rank
60th
South Africa rank
63rd
Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 64.3% against 63.0% in South Africa, a difference of 1.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
Mexico ranks 60th and South Africa ranks 63rd of 190 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.1% | 40.6% | 2.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 59.2% | 46.6% | 12.6% | Mexico |
| 2020s | 63.4% | 63.0% | 0.4% | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 64.3% against 63.0% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas between Mexico and South Africa?
- 1.3%, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas?
- Mexico ranks 60th and South Africa ranks 63rd of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data, published as Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average proportion of Marine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%).