Protected areas in Sweden

Sweden: Protected areas was 68,823 Square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
68,823 Square kilometre
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
6th
of 35 countries
All-time high
68,823 Square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
63,173 Square kilometre
in 2011
Years of data
13
2011–2023

Protected areas in Sweden, 2011–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k2011201720232011: 63.2k Square kilometre2012: 63.4k Square kilometre2013: 63.7k Square kilometre2014: 64.0k Square kilometre2015: 64.2k Square kilometre2016: 64.5k Square kilometre2017: 65.2k Square kilometre2018: 66.1k Square kilometre2019: 66.5k Square kilometre2020: 66.7k Square kilometre2021: 67.0k Square kilometre2022: 67.2k Square kilometre2023: 68.8k Square kilometre

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Square kilometre.

Analysis

The most recent figure for protected areas in Sweden is 68,823 Square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, protected areas in Sweden peaked at 68,823 Square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 63,173 Square kilometre, in 2011.

Sweden ranks 6th of 35 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Protected areas in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Protected areas in Sweden, 2011 to 2023.
Year Square kilometre Change
2011 63,173 Square kilometre —
2012 63,396 Square kilometre +0.4%
2013 63,746 Square kilometre +0.6%
2014 63,987 Square kilometre +0.4%
2015 64,226 Square kilometre +0.4%
2016 64,512 Square kilometre +0.4%
2017 65,196 Square kilometre +1.1%
2018 66,063 Square kilometre +1.3%
2019 66,493 Square kilometre +0.7%
2020 66,733 Square kilometre +0.4%
2021 66,974 Square kilometre +0.4%
2022 67,206 Square kilometre +0.3%
2023 68,823 Square kilometre +2.4%

Sweden compared with similar countries

  • Sweden's 68,823 Square kilometre is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20,712 Square kilometre, 3.3× the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Sweden's 68,823 Square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 20,688 Square kilometre, 3.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 64,532 Square kilometre 63,173 Square kilometre 66,493 Square kilometre 9
2020s 67,434 Square kilometre 66,733 Square kilometre 68,823 Square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 3 Germany 139,798 Square kilometre compare
  2. 4 Poland 123,528 Square kilometre compare
  3. 4 Poland 123,528 Square kilometre compare
  4. 7 Italy 64,432 Square kilometre compare
  5. 8 Romania 55,898 Square kilometre compare
  6. 9 Bulgaria 49,110 Square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is protected areas in Sweden?
Protected areas in Sweden was 68,823 Square kilometre in 2023, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest protected areas recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 68,823 Square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest protected areas recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 63,173 Square kilometre in 2011.
How does Sweden rank for protected areas?
Sweden ranks 6th out of 35 countries with data for 2023.
Is protected areas rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Protected areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Protected areas in Sweden. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/protected-areas/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Protected areas
Unit
Square kilometre
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
36 places, 468 data points, 2011–2023
Last refreshed