Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Ireland
Ireland: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 2.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Ireland, 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
The most recent figure for share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Ireland is 2.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Ireland peaked at 2.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2013.
That places Ireland 83rd out of 174 regions with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.01 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.6528 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.5528 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8957 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 130.04 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 Ireland?
- Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Ireland was 2.4% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2013.
- How does Ireland rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
- Ireland ranks 83rd out of 174 regions with data for 2025.
- Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.