Share of forest area within protected areas in Spain
Spain: Share of forest area within protected areas was 40.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of forest area within protected areas in Spain, 1990–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 40.2% for share of forest area within protected areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of forest area within protected areas in Spain peaked at 40.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 1990.
That places Spain 34th out of 197 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of forest area within protected areas in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.2% | — |
| 2000 | 12.7% | +75.2% |
| 2010 | 39.6% | +213.3% |
| 2015 | 39.8% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 40.2% | +0.9% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 40.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.0%, 2.5× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Spain's 40.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22.7%, 1.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.2% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 39.7% | 39.6% | 39.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 40.2% | 40.2% | 40.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 10.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of forest area within protected areas in Spain?
- Share of forest area within protected areas in Spain was 40.2% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 40.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of forest area within protected areas recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 1990.
- How does Spain rank for share of forest area within protected areas?
- Spain ranks 34th out of 197 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of forest area within protected areas rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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.
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CSV · JSON — 5 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 (%).