Share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected in Ireland

Ireland: Share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected was 83.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
83.4%
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
24th
of 238 regions
All-time high
83.4%
in 2022
All-time low
46.3%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected in Ireland, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 46.3 %2001: 46.3 %2002: 46.3 %2003: 46.4 %2004: 49.5 %2005: 52.1 %2006: 59.5 %2007: 64.3 %2008: 65.2 %2009: 71.4 %2010: 73.8 %2011: 75.1 %2012: 75.1 %2013: 75.1 %2014: 75.1 %2015: 75.1 %2016: 75.3 %2017: 75.8 %2018: 76.7 %2019: 82 %2020: 82.1 %2021: 83.3 %2022: 83.4 %2023: 83.4 %2024: 83.4 %

Source: BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland is 83.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 11.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland peaked at 83.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 46.3%, in 2000.

Ireland ranks 24th of 238 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 54.7% 46.3% 71.4% 10
2010s 75.9% 73.8% 82.0% 10
2020s 83.2% 82.1% 83.4% 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 21 Slovakia 85.7% compare
  2. 22 Zimbabwe 85.1% compare
  3. 23 Hungary 84.3% compare
  4. 25 French Guiana 83.2% compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland?
Share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected in Ireland was 83.4% in 2024, according to BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 83.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 46.3% in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected?
Ireland ranks 24th out of 238 regions with data for 2024.
Is share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas that are protected rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. 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 Share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are protected
Unit
%
Source
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
238 places, 5,950 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Average proportion of Terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%)