Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries)

European Union (27 countries): Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces was 51,163 Square kilometres in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
51,163 Square kilometres
Change on year
up 7.9%
Rank
20th
of 758 regions
All-time high
51,163 Square kilometres
in 2022
All-time low
34,265 Square kilometres
in 2005
Years of data
5
2005–2022

Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries), 2005–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k2005201320222005: 34.3k Square kilometres2010: 39.7k Square kilometres2015: 45.3k Square kilometres2020: 47.4k Square kilometres2022: 51.2k Square kilometres

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.

Analysis

In 2022, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries) stood at 51,163 Square kilometres. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 28.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries) peaked at 51,163 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34,265 Square kilometres, in 2005.

European Union (27 countries) ranks 20th of 758 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.

Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries), year by year

Annual values for Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries), 2005 to 2022.
Year Square kilometres Change
2005 34,265 Square kilometres
2010 39,694 Square kilometres +15.8%
2015 45,268 Square kilometres +14.0%
2020 47,408 Square kilometres +4.7%
2022 51,163 Square kilometres +7.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34,265 Square kilometres 34,265 Square kilometres 34,265 Square kilometres 1
2010s 42,481 Square kilometres 39,694 Square kilometres 45,268 Square kilometres 2
2020s 49,285 Square kilometres 47,408 Square kilometres 51,163 Square kilometres 2

Countries ranked near European Union (27 countries)

  1. 17 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4,895 Square kilometres compare
  2. 18 Spain 4,609 Square kilometres compare
  3. 19 Canada 4,307 Square kilometres compare
  4. 20 Romania 4,236 Square kilometres compare
  5. 21 Australia 3,732 Square kilometres compare
  6. 21 Ethiopia 1,044 Square kilometres compare
  7. 22 Moldova 899.86 Square kilometres compare
  8. 22 Thailand 3,691 Square kilometres compare
  9. 23 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3,413 Square kilometres compare

See the full ranking of 978 places →

More environment data for European Union (27 countries)

All data for European Union (27 countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries)?
Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries) was 51,163 Square kilometres in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in European Union (27 countries)?
The highest recorded value was 51,163 Square kilometres in 2022.
What is the lowest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in European Union (27 countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 34,265 Square kilometres in 2005.
How does European Union (27 countries) rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
European Union (27 countries) ranks 20th out of 758 regions with data for 2022.
Is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces rising or falling in European Union (27 countries)?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this European Union (27 countries) data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in European Union (27 countries). Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-cover-and-land-cover-change-gain-of-artificial-surfaces/european-union-27-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces
Unit
Square kilometres
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
978 places, 4,890 data points, 2005–2022
Last refreshed

The land cover dataset provides a global assessment of land cover and land cover change to monitor pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity. By using geospatial data with high spatio-temporal resolution, it develops a set of internationally comparable indicators with a long time series and a five-year interval from 2000 to 2022 for the Climate Change Initiative Land Cover dataset, and from 1975 to 2030 for the Global Human Settlement Layer dataset. Please see the working paper for a more complete description of the methods. The dataset has a global coverage on the national level, while on the sub-national TL2 level (i.e. large subnational regions) results are reported for all OECD countries as well as for Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa. The following country aggregates are included: Euro area, European Union, Advanced economies, Emerging market economies, G7, G20, OECD, OECD Europe, OECD Asia Oceania, OECD Americas, the LAC region and the World. Data source(s): Climate Change Initiative land cover data and Global Human Settlement Layer built-up area data. Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Database documentation