Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada

Canada: Share of land defined as natural habitat was 77.35 in 2010. ▼ Falling

Latest (2010)
77.35
World rank
29th
of 168 countries
All-time high
88.67
in 1820
All-time low
76.05
in 1950
Years of data
24
1780–2010

Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada, 1780–2010

0204060801780189520101780: 88.61790: 88.61800: 88.71810: 88.61820: 88.71830: 88.71840: 88.61850: 88.41860: 87.91870: 86.71880: 86.21890: 85.31900: 82.81910: 82.41920: 79.31930: 77.41940: 771950: 76.11960: 76.11970: 76.31980: 77.11990: 772000: 77.22010: 77.3

Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada is 77.35, measured in 2010.

The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada peaked at 88.67 in 1820 and was at its lowest, 76.05, in 1950.

That places Canada 29th out of 168 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada, year by year

Annual values for Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada, 1780 to 2010.
Year Value Change
1780 88.63
1790 88.64 +0.0%
1800 88.65 +0.0%
1810 88.65 -0.0%
1820 88.67 +0.0%
1830 88.66 -0.0%
1840 88.61 -0.1%
1850 88.37 -0.3%
1860 87.92 -0.5%
1870 86.68 -1.4%
1880 86.15 -0.6%
1890 85.26 -1.0%
1900 82.8 -2.9%
1910 82.39 -0.5%
1920 79.3 -3.7%
1930 77.38 -2.4%
1940 77 -0.5%
1950 76.05 -1.2%
1960 76.08 +0.0%
1970 76.31 +0.3%
1980 77.1 +1.0%
1990 76.97 -0.2%
2000 77.2 +0.3%
2010 77.35 +0.2%

Canada compared with similar countries

  • Canada's 77.35 is above the median for high income countries, which is 61.44, 1.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 88.63 88.63 88.63 1
1790s 88.64 88.64 88.64 1
1800s 88.65 88.65 88.65 1
1810s 88.65 88.65 88.65 1
1820s 88.67 88.67 88.67 1
1830s 88.66 88.66 88.66 1
1840s 88.61 88.61 88.61 1
1850s 88.37 88.37 88.37 1
1860s 87.92 87.92 87.92 1
1870s 86.68 86.68 86.68 1
1880s 86.15 86.15 86.15 1
1890s 85.26 85.26 85.26 1
1900s 82.8 82.8 82.8 1
1910s 82.39 82.39 82.39 1
1920s 79.3 79.3 79.3 1
1930s 77.38 77.38 77.38 1
1940s 77 77 77 1
1950s 76.05 76.05 76.05 1
1960s 76.08 76.08 76.08 1
1970s 76.31 76.31 76.31 1
1980s 77.1 77.1 77.1 1
1990s 76.97 76.97 76.97 1
2000s 77.2 77.2 77.2 1
2010s 77.35 77.35 77.35 1

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 26 Brunei 78.75 compare
  2. 27 Belize 78.66 compare
  3. 28 North Korea 78.56 compare
  4. 30 Slovakia 77.21 compare
  5. 31 Zambia 75.9 compare
  6. 32 Indonesia 75.71 compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada?
Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada was 77.35 in 2010, according to Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 88.67 in 1820.
What is the lowest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 76.05 in 1950.
How does Canada rank for share of land defined as natural habitat?
Canada ranks 29th out of 168 countries with data for 2010.
Is share of land defined as natural habitat rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of land defined as natural habitat in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/land-natural-share/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of land defined as natural habitat
Source
Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
168 places, 4,032 data points, 1780–2010
Last refreshed

Natural ecosystems include forest, grassland, savanna, and shrublands, and other classes such as peatlands and marshes. It is total land minus land that is used by humans for agriculture – either croplands or pasture – or for infrastructure and urban environments.