Share of land area that is protected in Denmark
Denmark: Share of land area that is protected was 16.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land area that is protected in Denmark, 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
In 2025, share of land area that is protected in Denmark stood at 16.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Denmark peaked at 26.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2024.
Denmark ranks 112th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Share of land area that is protected in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 17.5% | — |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +46.3% |
| 2015 | 25.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | -29.3% |
| 2017 | 26.1% | +44.2% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | -30.7% |
| 2019 | 17.2% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15.8% | -7.1% |
| 2025 | 16.4% | +3.8% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 16.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 21.5%, 76% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 16.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22.1%, 74% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of land area that is protected in Denmark changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +46.3% | 17.5% | 25.6% |
| 2017 | +44.2% | 18.1% | 26.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 21.2% | 17.2% | 26.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 15.8% | 17.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 109 Burkina Faso 16.8% compare
- 110 Antigua and Barbuda 16.5% compare
- 110 Curacao 16.5% compare
- 112 American Samoa 16.4% compare
- 112 Belgium 16.4% compare
- 115 East Timor 16.1% compare
- 115 Marshall Islands 16.1% compare
- 115 Uganda 16.1% compare
More reference data data for Denmark
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1915 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4109 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in Denmark?
- Share of land area that is protected in Denmark was 16.4% 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 26.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2024.
- How does Denmark rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Denmark ranks 112th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.
Download this data
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.