Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland
Ireland: Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas was 65.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland, 2000–2025
Source: BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 65.7% for protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland peaked at 65.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.0%, in 2000.
That places Ireland 59th out of 184 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37.0% | — |
| 2001 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 38.3% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 57.9% | +51.0% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 57.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 60.4% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 60.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 60.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 60.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 61.1% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 61.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 61.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 63.2% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 64.1% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 65.7% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 65.7% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 65.7% | +0.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 65.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.7%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 65.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 65.6%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.7% | 37.0% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.6% | 60.4% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.3% | 61.1% | 65.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland?
- Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas in Ireland was 65.7% in 2025, according to BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 65.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.0% in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas?
- Ireland ranks 59th out of 184 countries with data for 2025.
- Is protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Protected area coverage of mountain key biodiversity areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average proportion of Mountain Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%).