Share of land area that is protected in Ireland
Ireland: Share of land area that is protected was 14.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of land area that is protected in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 14.2%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Ireland peaked at 14.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2025.
Ireland ranks 130th of 213 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 14.4% | 14.3% | 14.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 14.2% | 14.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.01 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.6528 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.5528 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8957 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 130.04 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 Ireland?
- Share of land area that is protected in Ireland was 14.2% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Ireland ranks 130th out of 213 regions with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland 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.