Latvia vs South Africa: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected
Latvia
16.4%
in 2025
South Africa
15.4%
in 2025
Latvia rank
36th
South Africa rank
39th
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected over time
- Latvia
- South Africa
How they compare
Latvia currently reports 16.4% against 15.4% in South Africa, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes Latvia's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Latvia has been ahead every year.
Latvia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 174 countries.
Latvia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Latvia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.4% | 12.5% | 3.9% | Latvia |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 15.5% | 0.7% | Latvia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of marine territorial waters that are protected, Latvia or South Africa?
- Latvia, at 16.4% against 15.4% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of marine territorial waters that are protected between Latvia and South Africa?
- 1.0%, with Latvia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Latvia and South Africa?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2025.
- How do Latvia and South Africa rank globally for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
- Latvia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of marine territorial waters that are protected. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Marine protected areas are regions of intertidal or sub-tidal land and associated water, flora and fauna, and cultural and historical features that have been legally or effectively reserved for protection.