Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Tonga
Tonga: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Tonga, 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
Tonga recorded 0.1% for share of marine territorial waters that are protected in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 93.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Tonga peaked at 1.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2019.
Tonga ranks 139th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 139 Algeria 0.1% compare
- 139 Cape Verde 0.1% compare
- 139 Cayman Islands 0.1% compare
- 139 Dominica 0.1% compare
- 139 Grenada 0.1% compare
- 139 Liberia 0.1% compare
- 139 Maldives 0.1% compare
- 139 Papua New Guinea 0.1% compare
- 139 Solomon Islands 0.1% compare
- 139 Trinidad and Tobago 0.1% compare
More reference data data for Tonga
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 2 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Consumer price index 174.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Tonga?
- Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Tonga was 0.1% 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2019.
- How does Tonga rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
- Tonga ranks 139th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 93.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tonga 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
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.