Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Romania

Romania: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 21.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
21.5%
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
27th
of 174 countries
All-time high
23.1%
in 2017
All-time low
8.0%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

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

101520252013201920252013: 8 % of territorial waters2014: 8.4 % of territorial waters2015: 8.4 % of territorial waters2016: 8.5 % of territorial waters2017: 23.1 % of territorial waters2018: 23.1 % of territorial waters2019: 23.1 % of territorial waters2020: 23.1 % of territorial waters2021: 23.1 % of territorial waters2022: 23.1 % of territorial waters2023: 23.1 % of territorial waters2024: 22.1 % of territorial waters2025: 21.5 % 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 Romania stood at 21.5%.

The figure is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 156.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Romania peaked at 23.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2013.

Romania ranks 27th of 174 countries on this measure, 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 14.7% 8.0% 23.1% 7
2020s 22.7% 21.5% 23.1% 6

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 24 Lithuania 23.2% compare
  2. 25 Mexico 22.6% compare
  3. 26 Ukraine 21.6% compare
  4. 28 Bahrain 21.4% compare
  5. 29 Belize 20.4% compare
  6. 30 Ecuador 19.3% compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Romania?
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Romania was 21.5% 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 2017.
What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2013.
How does Romania rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
Romania ranks 27th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is up 156.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Romania 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.