Share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland
Ireland: Share of forest area within protected areas was 19.2% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland, 2010–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 19.2% for share of forest area within protected areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland peaked at 19.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 2010.
That places Ireland 93rd out of 197 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18.5% | — |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 18.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 18.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 19.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.0%, 1.2× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 19.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22.7%, 85% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.9% | 18.5% | 19.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 19.2% | 19.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland?
- Share of forest area within protected areas in Ireland was 19.2% in 2020, 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of forest area within protected areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 2010.
- How does Ireland rank for share of forest area within protected areas?
- Ireland ranks 93rd out of 197 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of forest area within protected areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 7 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 (%).