Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: 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, 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 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 peaked at 3,413 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2,787 Square kilometres, in 2005.
That places United Kingdom 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, 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% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 3,413 Square kilometres is above the median for high income countries, which is 341.42 Square kilometres, 10.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 3,413 Square kilometres is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 774.89 Square kilometres, 4.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
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
- 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
- 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)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 9.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -2.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.47 % 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 -0.8735 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom?
- Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in United Kingdom 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,787 Square kilometres in 2005.
- How does United Kingdom rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
- United Kingdom 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?
- 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 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