Ireland—Marine Protected Areas (%)
Ireland's marine protected areas (%) was 2.4% in 2025, ranking #83 out of 174 countries. This represents a +0.0% change from 2024. Over the past 13 years, the highest recorded value was 2.4% (2024) and the lowest was 1.5% (2013). Data sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators.
Historical Data
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +53.3% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.5% |
Top Countries — Marine Protected Areas (%)
| # | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monaco | 100.0% | 2025 |
| 2 | Palau | 98.0% | 2025 |
| 3 | St. Martin (French part) | 97.0% | 2025 |
| 4 | New Caledonia | 96.5% | 2025 |
| 5 | French Polynesia | 87.4% | 2025 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | 52.5% | 2025 |
| 7 | France | 49.2% | 2025 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 46.8% | 2025 |
| 9 | Australia | 45.4% | 2025 |
| 10 | Germany | 45.3% | 2025 |
About This Indicator
Definition
Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.
Methodology
Data compiled by Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), uri: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, note: Only the latest data can be retrieved from the Protected Planet website. The time series are provided directly to WDI by Protected Planet., publisher: Protected Planet, date accessed: 20240516, date published: 202405; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), uri: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, publisher: Protected Planet, date accessed: 20240516.
Unit
% of territorial waters