Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries

G20 OECD countries: Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces was 59,685 Square kilometres in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
59,685 Square kilometres
Change on year
up 8.7%
Rank
17th
of 758 regions
All-time high
59,685 Square kilometres
in 2022
All-time low
25,494 Square kilometres
in 2005
Years of data
5
2005–2022

Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries, 2005–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k2005201320222005: 25.5k Square kilometres2010: 36.6k Square kilometres2015: 48.3k Square kilometres2020: 54.9k Square kilometres2022: 59.7k Square kilometres

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries is 59,685 Square kilometres, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 63.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries peaked at 59,685 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 25,494 Square kilometres, in 2005.

G20 OECD countries ranks 17th of 758 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.

Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries, year by year

Annual values for Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries, 2005 to 2022.
Year Square kilometres Change
2005 25,494 Square kilometres
2010 36,601 Square kilometres +43.6%
2015 48,269 Square kilometres +31.9%
2020 54,903 Square kilometres +13.7%
2022 59,685 Square kilometres +8.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 25,494 Square kilometres 25,494 Square kilometres 25,494 Square kilometres 1
2010s 42,435 Square kilometres 36,601 Square kilometres 48,269 Square kilometres 2
2020s 57,294 Square kilometres 54,903 Square kilometres 59,685 Square kilometres 2

Countries ranked near G20 OECD countries

  1. 14 Italy 5,261 Square kilometres compare
  2. 15 Uzbekistan 4,990 Square kilometres compare
  3. 16 Pakistan 4,902 Square kilometres compare
  4. 17 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4,895 Square kilometres compare
  5. 18 Spain 4,609 Square kilometres compare
  6. 19 Canada 4,307 Square kilometres compare
  7. 20 Romania 4,236 Square kilometres compare

See the full ranking of 978 places →

More environment data for G20 OECD countries

All data for G20 OECD countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries?
Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in G20 OECD countries was 59,685 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 G20 OECD countries?
The highest recorded value was 59,685 Square kilometres in 2022.
What is the lowest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in G20 OECD countries?
The lowest recorded value was 25,494 Square kilometres in 2005.
How does G20 OECD countries rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
G20 OECD countries ranks 17th out of 758 regions with data for 2022.
Is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces rising or falling in G20 OECD countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this G20 OECD 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 G20 OECD countries. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-cover-and-land-cover-change-gain-of-artificial-surfaces/g20-oecd-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