Share of land area that is protected in Canada
Canada: Share of land area that is protected was 12.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of land area that is protected in Canada, 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 total land area.
Analysis
Canada recorded 12.9% for share of land area that is protected in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Canada peaked at 12.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 2015.
Canada ranks 141st of 213 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.7% | 9.3% | 11.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 12.2% | 9.9% | 12.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 139 Egypt 13.1% compare
- 140 Lebanon 13.0% compare
- 141 United States 12.9% compare
- 143 Madagascar 12.8% compare
- 144 Sierra Leone 12.6% compare
More reference data data for Canada
- Spring temperature anomalies -4.58 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 2.12 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.47 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -2.57 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 140.97 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 land area that is protected in Canada?
- Share of land area that is protected in Canada was 12.9% 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 land area that is protected recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 2015.
- How does Canada rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Canada ranks 141st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 land area that is 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
Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.