Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Australia
Australia: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 45.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Australia, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of territorial waters.
Analysis
Australia recorded 45.4% for share of marine territorial waters that are protected in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Australia peaked at 45.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.6%, in 2017.
Australia ranks 9th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 42.0% | 40.6% | 44.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 44.1% | 40.8% | 45.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
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- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Australia?
- Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Australia was 45.4% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.6% in 2017.
- How does Australia rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Share of marine territorial waters that are protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.