Statizoid

Share of forest area within protected areas by country

Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%)

Countries reporting
154
Highest
99.7%
Uzbekistan
Lowest
0.0%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Median
17.9%
Years covered
21
2000–2020
Data points
1,208

What the numbers show

Share of forest area within protected areas is currently reported for 154 countries. The highest value is 99.7% in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 0.0% in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

The median across all reporting countries is 17.9%, and the mean is 22.6%.

Over the past decade 69 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Poland (up 932.1%), and the largest decrease in Puerto Rico (down 27.6%).

Share of forest area within protected areas: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Uzbekistan 99.7% 2020 up 26.4% rising
2 Venezuela 97.7% 2020 down 2.3% flat
3 Senegal 90.8% 2020 up 2.6% flat
4 Rwanda 78.2% 2020 unchanged flat
5 Benin 74.5% 2020 unchanged flat
6 Zambia 69.6% 2020 unchanged flat
7 Reunion 62.7% 2020 unchanged rising
8 Netherlands 59.5% 2020 unchanged rising
9 Tanzania 59.3% 2020 unchanged flat
10 Sri Lanka 59.1% 2020 up 97.5% rising
11 Belize 56.8% 2020 up 0.1% flat
12 Indonesia 54.5% 2020 down 2.2% rising
13 Sao Tome and Principe 53.6% 2020 unchanged rising
14 Guatemala 51.5% 2020 down 4.5% falling
15 Panama 47.3% 2020 unchanged flat
16 Guinea 47.0% 2020 unchanged flat
17 Montserrat 46.4% 2020 unchanged rising
18 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 46.0% 2020 unchanged flat
19 Saint Lucia 44.8% 2020 unchanged flat
20 Dominica 44.7% 2020 unchanged flat
21 Costa Rica 44.1% 2020 up 2.8% flat
22 Burundi 41.1% 2020 unchanged flat
23 Bhutan 40.7% 2020 unchanged flat
24 Mozambique 40.1% 2020 up 19.4% rising
25 Madagascar 39.8% 2020 up 4.7% rising
26 Mauritius 38.7% 2020 up 0.1% flat
27 Cote d'Ivoire 38.3% 2020 down 3.3% falling
28 Romania 37.8% 2020 up 49.2% rising
29 New Zealand 36.2% 2020 down 2.9% flat
30 Cambodia 35.5% 2020 unchanged flat
31 Chad 35.5% 2020 unchanged flat
32 Italy 35.1% 2020 unchanged rising
33 Azerbaijan 34.4% 2020 unchanged flat
34 Turkey 34.3% 2020 up 8.2% rising
35 Nicaragua 34.2% 2020 down 18.6% falling
36 Kazakhstan 33.9% 2020 up 18.9% rising
37 Kenya 33.5% 2020 up 2.9% flat
38 Bangladesh 32.8% 2020 unchanged flat
39 Poland 32.8% 2020 up 932.1% volatile
41 Honduras 31.8% 2020 down 2.3% flat
42 Lithuania 31.3% 2020 up 50.7% rising
43 Peru 31.2% 2020 up 39.0% rising
44 Malawi 30.9% 2020 unchanged flat
45 French Guiana 30.7% 2020 up 4.3% rising
46 Slovakia 29.8% 2020 up 6.5% rising
47 Brazil 29.7% 2020 up 6.8% rising
48 Germany 28.9% 2020 unchanged rising
49 Philippines 28.9% 2020 up 2.8% flat
50 Liechtenstein 26.1% 2020 unchanged flat
52 Ecuador 25.4% 2020 up 2.3% rising
53 Sudan 24.5% 2020 unchanged rising
54 Namibia 24.1% 2020 unchanged flat
55 Bolivia 23.9% 2020 — flat
56 France 23.3% 2020 up 703.1% rising
57 Jamaica 22.9% 2020 up 2.3% flat
58 Austria 22.6% 2020 up 20.5% rising
59 Hungary 22.5% 2020 up 2.8% rising
60 Mali 22.2% 2020 down 24.3% falling
61 Estonia 22.0% 2020 up 9.5% rising
62 Chile 21.6% 2020 up 3.1% rising
63 Mongolia 21.0% 2020 up 23.8% rising
64 Colombia 20.7% 2020 up 3.6% rising
65 Cuba 20.4% 2020 up 12.5% rising
66 Singapore 20.3% 2020 unchanged flat
67 India 19.8% 2020 up 0.6% rising
68 Moldova 19.6% 2020 up 14.7% rising
69 Slovenia 19.6% 2020 up 3.1% rising
70 Niger 19.3% 2020 unchanged flat
71 Ireland 19.2% 2020 up 4.0% flat
72 Laos 19.2% 2017 down 2.4% flat
73 Cameroon 19.1% 2020 up 0.2% flat
74 Democratic Republic of Congo 18.4% 2020 up 49.0% rising
75 Serbia 18.4% 2020 up 10.8% rising
76 Bulgaria 18.4% 2020 up 23.1% rising
77 Israel 18.2% 2020 up 7.1% rising
78 Australia 18.1% 2020 up 8.1% rising
79 Ghana 18.1% 2020 down 4.2% flat
80 Congo 17.8% 2020 unchanged flat
81 Switzerland 17.7% 2020 unchanged flat
82 Malaysia 17.7% 2020 up 64.1% rising
83 Myanmar 17.5% 2020 up 17.3% rising
84 Zimbabwe 17.4% 2020 unchanged flat
85 Nepal 17.3% 2020 unchanged flat
86 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 16.8% 2020 unchanged flat
87 Latvia 16.5% 2020 up 5.0% flat
89 Togo 16.0% 2020 unchanged flat
90 Belarus 15.8% 2020 up 24.7% rising
91 Vietnam 15.5% 2020 up 8.8% rising
92 Burkina Faso 15.1% 2020 down 1.8% flat
93 American Samoa 15.0% 2020 unchanged flat
94 Mauritania 14.7% 2020 up 4.1% flat
95 Lesotho 14.5% 2020 unchanged flat
96 China 14.4% 2020 up 10.4% rising
97 Gabon 14.4% 2020 unchanged rising
98 Iran 14.1% 2020 up 41.2% rising
99 Grenada 13.1% 2020 unchanged flat
100 Nigeria 12.9% 2020 unchanged flat
101 Finland 12.6% 2020 down 5.7% rising
102 Mexico 12.5% 2017 up 3.4% rising
103 Suriname 12.4% 2020 down 0.1% flat
104 Cayman Islands 12.3% 2020 up 1.9% flat
105 Malta 11.4% 2020 — rising
106 Saint Martin (French part) 11.3% 2020 unchanged flat
107 Georgia 11.2% 2020 up 42.5% rising
108 Equatorial Guinea 11.0% 2020 unchanged flat
109 Tunisia 10.8% 2020 up 1.6% rising
110 Botswana 10.8% 2020 unchanged flat
110 New Caledonia 10.8% 2020 up 19.1% rising
112 United States 10.2% 2020 up 4.9% rising
113 Montenegro 10.2% 2020 unchanged flat
114 Cyprus 10.1% 2020 up 3.1% rising
115 Eritrea 10.0% 2020 unchanged flat
116 Puerto Rico 9.9% 2017 down 27.6% flat
117 United Kingdom 9.2% 2020 unchanged flat
118 Sierra Leone 9.1% 2020 up 112.7% rising
119 Haiti 8.7% 2020 up 0.8% flat
120 Canada 8.5% 2020 up 4.6% rising
121 Trinidad and Tobago 8.5% 2020 unchanged flat
122 Denmark 8.4% 2020 up 25.8% rising
123 Kyrgyzstan 8.3% 2020 up 32.6% rising
124 Gambia 8.2% 2020 unchanged flat
125 Cape Verde 7.8% 2020 unchanged flat
126 Sweden 7.7% 2020 up 7.1% rising
127 South Korea 6.9% 2020 up 5.2% rising
128 Argentina 6.6% 2020 up 10.5% rising
129 Algeria 6.1% 2020 unchanged flat
130 Yemen 5.7% 2020 unchanged flat
131 Czechia 5.5% 2020 up 12.8% rising
132 Guyana 5.4% 2020 up 147.0% rising
133 Norway 5.0% 2020 up 41.8% rising
134 Brunei 5.0% 2020 unchanged flat
135 French Polynesia 5.0% 2020 unchanged flat
136 Barbados 4.8% 2020 unchanged flat
137 Eswatini 4.7% 2020 — volatile
138 Morocco 4.6% 2020 down 0.2% rising
139 Papua New Guinea 3.8% 2020 unchanged flat
140 Croatia 2.9% 2020 up 2.1% rising
141 El Salvador 2.8% 2020 unchanged flat
142 Angola 2.7% 2020 unchanged flat
143 Russia 2.3% 2020 up 5.6% rising
144 Uruguay 2.0% 2020 up 138.8% rising
145 South Africa 1.3% 2020 unchanged flat
146 Guinea-Bissau 1.3% 2020 down 3.7% flat
147 Iceland 1.3% 2017 up 1.6% rising
148 Central African Republic 0.7% 2020 unchanged flat
149 Vanuatu 0.7% 2020 unchanged flat
150 Saudi Arabia 0.3% 2020 unchanged flat
151 Comoros 0.0% 2020 — flat
151 Faroe Islands 0.0% 2020 — flat
151 Greenland 0.0% 2020 — flat
151 Iraq 0.0% 2020 — flat
151 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0.0% 2020 — flat
151 Guernsey 0.0% 2017 — flat
151 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0% 2020 — flat

About this data

Indicator
Share of forest area within protected areas
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
157 places, 1,208 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%)