Country rankings

Protected Land by Country

Guadeloupe has the highest Protected Land in 2024 (68.6%), followed by Reunion (68.3%) and Martinique (65.9%). Libya has the lowest (0.02%).

EnvironmentPolitics & Government215 countries · 1 metricUpdated Feb 8, 2025Original page
1 source
Protected LandBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
214 of 235 countries

Protected Land, 2024

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 214 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
16.3%
Middle half 8.62% – 25.1%
Average
18.6%
214 countries
Highest
68.6%
Guadeloupe
Lowest
0.02%
Libya

Over time · 1950–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Guadeloupe
  • Reunion
  • Martinique
  • New Caledonia
  • Venezuela

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

214 countries · # = rank by Protected Land
#
1Guadeloupe68.6%
2Reunion68.3%
3Martinique65.9%
4New Caledonia64.1%
5Venezuela56.5%
6French Guiana52.3%
7Bhutan50.0%
8Seychelles45.6%
9Bulgaria44.2%
10Liechtenstein41.9%
11Greenland41.4%
12Zambia41.0%
13Slovenia40.2%
14Tanzania39.9%
15Namibia39.9%
16Hong Kong39.6%
17Poland39.6%
18Cambodia39.5%
19Germany39.1%
20Armenia38.3%
21Luxembourg38.1%
22Croatia37.5%
23Cyprus37.4%
24Slovakia37.2%
25Brunei36.7%
26Guinea36.4%
27Belize36.3%
28Bahamas35.1%
29Greece34.6%
30New Zealand33.2%
31Comoros33.0%
32France31.8%
33Panama30.8%
34Japan30.6%
35Brazil30.6%
36Trinidad and Tobago30.3%
37Sao Tome and Principe30.2%
38Bolivia30.1%
39Sri Lanka29.9%
40Gibraltar29.7%
41Austria29.5%
42Mozambique29.4%
43Turks and Caicos Islands29.3%
44Botswana29.1%
45United Kingdom28.4%
46Zimbabwe28.2%
47Spain28.1%
48North Macedonia27.8%
49Andorra27.3%
50Senegal26.4%
51Costa Rica26.2%
52Dominican Republic26.1%
53Benin25.8%
54Malta25.1%
55Togo24.9%
56Netherlands24.7%
57Israel24.7%
58Romania24.3%
59Guinea-Bissau24.0%
60Lesotho23.4%
61Nepal23.4%
62Albania23.3%
63Ecuador23.2%
63Honduras23.2%
65Ivory Coast22.7%
66Portugal22.7%
67Montenegro22.5%
68Hungary22.5%
69Georgia22.5%
70Peru22.5%
71Gabon22.2%
72Tajikistan22.1%
73Australia22.0%
74Azerbaijan21.9%
75Oman21.8%
76Czechia21.8%
77Italy21.6%
78Nicaragua21.3%
79Dominica21.3%
80Niue21.1%
81Malawi21.1%
82Iceland20.5%
83Chad20.3%
84Chile20.2%
85Estonia20.1%
86Guatemala20.0%
87Mongolia19.7%
88Jamaica19.6%
89Aruba19.5%
90American Samoa19.2%
91Equatorial Guinea19.1%
92United Arab Emirates18.9%
93Laos18.8%
94Saint Vincent and the Grenadines18.8%
95Saudi Arabia18.5%
96Latvia18.4%
97Thailand18.3%
98Niger18.0%
99Norway17.7%
99Lithuania17.7%
101Saint Lucia17.6%
102Ukraine17.3%
103Ethiopia17.0%
104Colombia17.0%
105Saint Kitts and Nevis16.7%
106Burkina Faso16.5%
107Kuwait16.4%
108Belgium16.2%
109Cape Verde16.1%
110Uganda15.9%
111Timor-Leste15.8%
112Philippines15.5%
113South Sudan15.5%
114Sweden15.4%
115Denmark15.3%
116Mexico15.3%
117Cuba15.1%
118DR Congo14.9%
119Paraguay14.8%
120Ghana14.8%
121Central African Republic14.7%
121Qatar14.7%
123Suriname14.3%
124Antigua and Barbuda14.3%
125Pakistan14.3%
126Ireland14.3%
127Kenya13.9%
128Nigeria13.8%
129Finland13.5%
130Anguilla13.3%
131Jersey13.1%
132Malaysia13.0%
133United States Virgin Islands13.0%
134United States12.9%
134Canada12.9%
136Sierra Leone12.8%
137Madagascar12.7%
138Switzerland12.4%
139Mayotte12.4%
140Serbia11.9%
141Indonesia11.8%
142Cayman Islands11.8%
143Palau11.7%
144Russia11.4%
145Montserrat11.3%
146Egypt11.2%
147Cameroon11.0%
148Moldova10.8%
149Angola10.7%
150Kazakhstan9.96%
151Palestine9.77%
152Grenada9.69%
153South Africa9.5%
154Belarus9.32%
154Bosnia and Herzegovina9.32%
156Uzbekistan9.31%
157El Salvador9.07%
158Rwanda8.91%
159Argentina8.71%
160Haiti8.7%
161Iran8.59%
162Guyana8.46%
163Tonga8.18%
164Tunisia7.85%
165Kiribati7.79%
166Tuvalu7.71%
167Gambia7.53%
168Mali7.51%
169Burundi7.48%
170Vietnam7.37%
171Kyrgyzstan6.73%
172Myanmar6.54%
172Samoa6.54%
174Puerto Rico5.96%
175Singapore5.82%
176Jordan5.42%
177Mauritius4.8%
178Bangladesh4.64%
178Algeria4.64%
180Turkmenistan4.32%
181Saint Pierre and Miquelon4.27%
182Vanuatu4.22%
183Eswatini4.21%
184Liberia3.86%
185Guam3.81%
186Uruguay3.73%
187Isle of Man3.69%
188Papua New Guinea3.67%
189Afghanistan3.6%
190Fiji2.58%
191French Polynesia2.39%
192Morocco2.18%
193North Korea2.15%
194Lebanon1.89%
195Sudan1.88%
196Solomon Islands1.83%
197Faroe Islands1.81%
198China1.68%
199British Virgin Islands1.55%
200Iraq1.54%
201Barbados1.4%
202Djibouti1.32%
203Yemen1.13%
204Bermuda1.05%
205Monaco0.99%
206Bahrain0.85%
207Syria0.69%
208India0.62%
209Mauritania0.6%
209Northern Mariana Islands0.6%
211Falkland Islands0.51%
212Turkey0.2%
212Wallis and Futuna0.2%
214Libya0.02%

What correlates with Protected Land (2024)?

Pearson r against 1,328 other country metrics sharing at least 129 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Protected Land tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Ecosystem VitalityGreenest (Most Eco-Friendly) Countries
    r = +0.57 · strong · n = 173
    Plot
  2. LP Natural EnvironmentLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.50 · moderate · n = 162
    Plot
  3. EPI ScoreEnvironmental Performance Index by Country
    r = +0.45 · moderate · n = 173
    Plot
  4. Women’s Employment 2020 to 2024Most Dangerous Countries for Women
    r = +0.41 · moderate · n = 187
    Plot
  5. Absence of Legal Discrimination (0 to 100)Most Dangerous Countries for Women
    r = +0.40 · moderate · n = 187
    Plot
  6. % Risk of Prostate Cancer at 74Prostate Cancer Rates by Country
    r = +0.40 · moderate · n = 180
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Protected Land tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Eczema Cases Per 100kEczema Rates by Country
    r = −0.43 · moderate · n = 192
    Plot
  2. ObjectiveLists Conservative Country ScoreMost Conservative Countries
    r = −0.41 · moderate · n = 153
    Plot
  3. Teetotalers MaleTeetotalism by Country
    r = −0.37 · moderate · n = 178
    Plot
  4. TeetotalersTeetotalism by Country
    r = −0.37 · moderate · n = 178
    Plot
  5. Teetotalers FemaleTeetotalism by Country
    r = −0.36 · moderate · n = 178
    Plot
  6. Human RightsFailed States
    r = −0.33 · moderate · n = 172
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Protected Land?
Guadeloupe has the highest Protected Land in 2024, at 68.6%, followed by Reunion (68.3%) and Martinique (65.9%).
Which country has the lowest Protected Land?
Libya has the lowest Protected Land in 2024, at 0.02%.
What is the median Protected Land across countries?
The median is 16.3% across the 214 countries with data in 2024.
Where does this protected land by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Protected Areas - OECD.

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