Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in France
France: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 49.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in France, 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
In 2025, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in France stood at 49.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 156.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in France peaked at 50.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 2015.
France ranks 7th 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 | 30.0% | 19.2% | 48.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 49.8% | 49.2% | 50.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
- 4 New Caledonia 96.5% compare
- 5 French Polynesia 87.4% compare
- 6 Kazakhstan 52.5% compare
- 8 United Kingdom 46.8% compare
- 9 Australia 45.4% compare
- 10 Germany 45.3% compare
More reference data data for France
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5862 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1356 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.3048 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.2 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 127.7 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- 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 France?
- Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in France was 49.2% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 50.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 2015.
- How does France rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
- France ranks 7th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 156.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.
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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.