Share of freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected in Ireland
Ireland: Share of freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected was 98.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected in Ireland, 2000–2025
Source: BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland stood at 98.2%. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland peaked at 98.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 74.1%, in 2000.
Ireland ranks 15th of 164 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.1% | — |
| 2001 | 74.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 74.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 74.5% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 74.5% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 75.0% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 75.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 82.7% | +10.3% |
| 2008 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 84.6% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 90.3% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 90.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 93.3% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 98.2% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 77.0% | 74.1% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 82.7% | 90.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.2% | 90.3% | 98.2% | 6 |
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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 13.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0688 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -4.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland?
- Share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland was 98.2% in 2025, according to BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 98.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.1% in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected?
- Ireland ranks 15th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of freshwater key biodiversity areas that are protected rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average proportion of Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%).