Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Italy

Italy: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 11.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
11.0%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
49th
of 174 countries
All-time high
11.0%
in 2025
All-time low
5.5%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

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

02.557.5102013201920252013: 5.5 % of territorial waters2014: 5.6 % of territorial waters2015: 5.6 % of territorial waters2016: 8.8 % of territorial waters2017: 8.8 % of territorial waters2018: 8.8 % of territorial waters2019: 8.8 % of territorial waters2020: 9.7 % of territorial waters2021: 10.6 % of territorial waters2022: 10.6 % of territorial waters2023: 10.6 % of territorial waters2024: 10.7 % of territorial waters2025: 11 % 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

Italy recorded 11.0% 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 2.8% on the previous year and up 96.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Italy peaked at 11.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2013.

Italy ranks 49th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 7.4% 5.5% 8.8% 7
2020s 10.5% 9.7% 11.0% 6

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 46 Kiribati 11.9% compare
  2. 47 Finland 11.8% compare
  3. 48 Cameroon 11.4% compare
  4. 50 Isle of Man 10.8% compare
  5. 51 Croatia 9.3% compare
  6. 52 Canada 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Italy?
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Italy was 11.0% 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 11.0% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2013.
How does Italy rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
Italy ranks 49th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 96.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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.