Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe
Europe: Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas was 23.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe, 1990–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe stood at 23.2%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe peaked at 23.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 1990.
Europe ranks 13th of 32 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16.7% | — |
| 2000 | 18.2% | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | +13.7% |
| 2015 | 21.8% | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 22.3% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 23.2% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 18.2% | 18.2% | 18.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 21.2% | 20.7% | 21.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 22.3% | 23.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Europe
More environment data for Europe
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.33 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.435 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.71 °C (2025)
- Recovered paper — Production 57.94 million t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 101.18 million t (2024)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Use per area of cropland 49.53 kg/ha (2024)
- Pesticides (total) — Export value 16.44 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Import quantity 11.92 million t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe?
- Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas in Europe was 23.2% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas recorded in Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 1990.
- How does Europe rank for proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas?
- Europe ranks 13th out of 32 regions with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas rising or falling in Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).