Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland
Ireland: Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas was 83.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland, 2000–2025
Source: BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 83.0% for protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland peaked at 83.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.7%, in 2000.
Ireland ranks 33rd of 190 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 48.7% | — |
| 2001 | 48.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 48.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 48.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 53.1% | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 56.0% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 60.4% | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 60.9% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 62.3% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 70.6% | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 72.5% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 74.0% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 74.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 74.4% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 75.4% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 81.3% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 82.5% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 82.6% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 83.0% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 83.0% | +0.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 83.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 49.1%, 1.7× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 83.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 78.5%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.8% | 48.7% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.8% | 72.5% | 81.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.6% | 81.3% | 83.0% | 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)
- 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 protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland?
- Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in Ireland was 83.0% in 2025, according to BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.7% in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas?
- Ireland ranks 33rd out of 190 countries with data for 2025.
- Is protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. 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 Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas. 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 Marine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%).