Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand
New Zealand: Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas was 47.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand, 2000–2025
Source: BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand stood at 47.2%. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand peaked at 47.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 42.7%, in 2000.
New Zealand ranks 96th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42.7% | — |
| 2001 | 42.8% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 44.8% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 44.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 44.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 44.9% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 44.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 46.1% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 46.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 46.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 46.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 46.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 47.1% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 47.2% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.8% | 42.7% | 46.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.8% | 46.5% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.2% | 47.2% | 47.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 93 Sudan 48.0% compare
- 94 South Korea 47.6% compare
- 95 Mozambique 47.2% compare
- 97 Philippines 46.6% compare
- 98 El Salvador 46.6% compare
- 99 Egypt 44.4% compare
More environment data for New Zealand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2131 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.379 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 15.34 % 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 0.0722 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 4.31 % 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 protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand?
- Protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas in New Zealand was 47.2% 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 47.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.7% in 2000.
- How does New Zealand rank for protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 190 countries with data for 2025.
- Is protected area coverage of marine key biodiversity areas rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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 (%).