Share of land area that is protected in Ecuador

Ecuador: Share of land area that is protected was 23.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
23.8%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
59th
of 213 countries
All-time high
25.7%
in 2014
All-time low
20.0%
in 2015
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of land area that is protected in Ecuador, 2013–2025

01020302013201920252013: 25.6 % of total land area2014: 25.7 % of total land area2015: 20 % of total land area2016: 20 % of total land area2017: 20 % of total land area2018: 21.7 % of total land area2019: 21.7 % of total land area2020: 22.4 % of total land area2021: 23.2 % of total land area2022: 23.4 % of total land area2023: 23.5 % of total land area2024: 23.6 % of total land area2025: 23.8 % of total land area

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

Ecuador recorded 23.8% for share of land area that is protected in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Ecuador peaked at 25.7% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2015.

Ecuador ranks 59th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 22.1% 20.0% 25.7% 7
2020s 23.3% 22.4% 23.8% 6

Countries ranked near Ecuador

  1. 56 Dominican Republic 26.3% compare
  2. 57 Guinea-Bissau 26.2% compare
  3. 58 Romania 24.6% compare
  4. 60 Albania 23.6% compare
  5. 60 Nepal 23.6% compare
  6. 62 Lesotho 23.4% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Ecuador

All data for Ecuador →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land area that is protected in Ecuador?
Share of land area that is protected in Ecuador was 23.8% 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 Ecuador?
The highest recorded value was 25.7% in 2014.
What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Ecuador?
The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2015.
How does Ecuador rank for share of land area that is protected?
Ecuador ranks 59th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Ecuador?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Ecuador 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

Indicator
Share of land area that is protected
Unit
% of total land area
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
213 places, 2,746 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.