Share of land area that is protected in Ghana
Ghana: Share of land area that is protected was 15.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of land area that is protected in Ghana, 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
The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in Ghana is 15.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Ghana peaked at 15.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2020.
That places Ghana 124th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of land area that is protected in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 15.1% | — |
| 2014 | 15.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 15.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 15.0% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 15.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 14.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 15.3% | +3.4% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 15.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 15.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.1% | 15.0% | 15.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 14.8% | 15.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 123 South Sudan 15.4% compare
- 124 Mexico 15.3% compare
- 126 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.9% compare
- 126 Paraguay 14.9% compare
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in Ghana?
- Share of land area that is protected in Ghana was 15.3% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2020.
- How does Ghana rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Ghana ranks 124th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ghana 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.