Share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador
Ecuador: Share of forest area within protected areas was 25.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ecuador recorded 25.8% for share of forest area within protected areas in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador peaked at 26.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 1990.
Ecuador ranks 68th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20.0% | — |
| 2000 | 25.4% | +26.9% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 26.2% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 25.5% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 25.5% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 25.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 25.4% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 25.8% | -1.5% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 25.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.0%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 25.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.9%, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.0% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 25.4% | 25.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 25.4% | 26.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 26.0% | 25.8% | 26.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More environment data for Ecuador
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3767 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.4 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.49 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -0.5742 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.65 % 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 -1.14 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador?
- Share of forest area within protected areas in Ecuador was 25.8% in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of forest area within protected areas recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of forest area within protected areas recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 1990.
- How does Ecuador rank for share of forest area within protected areas?
- Ecuador ranks 68th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of forest area within protected areas rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of forest area within protected areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of forest area within legally established protected areas (%).