Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark

Denmark: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 27.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
27.1%
Change on year
up 45.7%
World rank
19th
of 174 countries
All-time high
27.1%
in 2025
All-time low
17.6%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark, 2013–2025

01020302013201920252013: 17.6 % of territorial waters2014: 18.2 % of territorial waters2015: 18.2 % of territorial waters2016: 17.8 % of territorial waters2017: 18.2 % of territorial waters2018: 17.8 % of territorial waters2019: 17.9 % of territorial waters2020: 18.3 % of territorial waters2021: 18.3 % of territorial waters2022: 18.3 % of territorial waters2023: 18.3 % of territorial waters2024: 18.6 % of territorial waters2025: 27.1 % of territorial waters

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

In 2025, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark stood at 27.1%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 45.7% on the previous year and up 48.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark peaked at 27.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 2013.

That places Denmark 19th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 18.0% 17.6% 18.2% 7
2020s 19.8% 18.3% 27.1% 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 16 Northern Mariana Islands 32.4% compare
  2. 17 New Zealand 30.4% compare
  3. 18 Costa Rica 28.4% compare
  4. 20 Gabon 26.8% compare
  5. 21 Brazil 26.6% compare
  6. 22 Panama 26.3% compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark?
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Denmark was 27.1% 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 2013.
How does Denmark rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
Denmark ranks 19th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 48.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark 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

Indicator
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected
Unit
% of territorial waters
Source
Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 2,223 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.