Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador

El Salvador: Share of land area that is protected was 8.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
8.3%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
165th
of 213 countries
All-time high
8.8%
in 2015
All-time low
8.3%
in 2024
Years of data
13
2013–2025

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

024682013201920252013: 8.4 % of total land area2014: 8.4 % of total land area2015: 8.8 % of total land area2016: 8.8 % of total land area2017: 8.8 % of total land area2018: 8.8 % of total land area2019: 8.8 % of total land area2020: 8.6 % of total land area2021: 8.6 % of total land area2022: 8.6 % of total land area2023: 8.6 % of total land area2024: 8.3 % of total land area2025: 8.3 % 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

The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in El Salvador is 8.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in El Salvador peaked at 8.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 2024.

That places El Salvador 165th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador, 2013 to 2025.
Year % of total land area Change
2013 8.4%
2014 8.4% +0.0%
2015 8.8% +4.8%
2016 8.8% +0.0%
2017 8.8% +0.0%
2018 8.8% +0.0%
2019 8.8% +0.0%
2020 8.6% -2.3%
2021 8.6% +0.0%
2022 8.6% +0.0%
2023 8.6% +0.0%
2024 8.3% -3.5%
2025 8.3% +0.0%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 8.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.6%, 53% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 8.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 17.7%, 47% of the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 8.7% 8.4% 8.8% 7
2020s 8.5% 8.3% 8.6% 6

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 163 Haiti 8.6% compare
  2. 164 Guyana 8.4% compare
  3. 166 Samoa 7.9% compare
  4. 166 Tunisia 7.9% compare
  5. 168 Iran 7.8% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land area that is protected in El Salvador?
Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador was 8.3% 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 El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 2024.
How does El Salvador rank for share of land area that is protected?
El Salvador ranks 165th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this El Salvador 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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Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas/el-salvador/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrestrial-protected-areas/el-salvador/">Share of land area that is protected in El Salvador</a> — Statizoid

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.