Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces was 3,413 Square kilometres in 2022. ▲ Rising
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2022
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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 3,413 Square kilometres. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.8% on the previous year and up 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 3,413 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2,787 Square kilometres, in 2005.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 23rd out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,787 Square kilometres | — |
| 2010 | 2,910 Square kilometres | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 2,963 Square kilometres | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 3,026 Square kilometres | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 3,413 Square kilometres | +12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,787 Square kilometres | 2,787 Square kilometres | 2,787 Square kilometres | 1 |
| 2010s | 2,936 Square kilometres | 2,910 Square kilometres | 2,963 Square kilometres | 2 |
| 2020s | 3,220 Square kilometres | 3,026 Square kilometres | 3,413 Square kilometres | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 20 Romania 4,236 Square kilometres compare
- 21 Australia 3,732 Square kilometres compare
- 21 Ethiopia 1,044 Square kilometres compare
- 22 Moldova 899.86 Square kilometres compare
- 22 Thailand 3,691 Square kilometres compare
- 24 Kazakhstan 3,174 Square kilometres compare
- 25 Argentina 3,089 Square kilometres compare
- 26 Saudi Arabia 2,837 Square kilometres compare
More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.35 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.22 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 5,420 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 28.37 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 981,329 metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 755,323 metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 226,006 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 2.03 Mt CO2e (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 3,413 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3,413 Square kilometres in 2022.
- What is the lowest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,787 Square kilometres in 2005.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 23rd out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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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About this data
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