Share of land area that is protected in Italy

Italy: Share of land area that is protected was 21.5% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
21.5%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
81st
of 213 countries
All-time high
21.6%
in 2022
All-time low
21.4%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

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

051015202013201920252013: 21.4 % of total land area2014: 21.5 % of total land area2015: 21.5 % of total land area2016: 21.5 % of total land area2017: 21.5 % of total land area2018: 21.5 % of total land area2019: 21.5 % of total land area2020: 21.5 % of total land area2021: 21.5 % of total land area2022: 21.6 % of total land area2023: 21.6 % of total land area2024: 21.6 % of total land area2025: 21.5 % 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

In 2025, share of land area that is protected in Italy stood at 21.5%.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Italy peaked at 21.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 2013.

Italy ranks 81st of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 21.5% 21.4% 21.5% 7
2020s 21.6% 21.5% 21.6% 6

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 78 Czechia 21.9% compare
  2. 79 Chile 21.6% compare
  3. 79 Estonia 21.6% compare
  4. 82 Dominica 21.4% compare
  5. 83 Nicaragua 21.2% compare
  6. 84 Chad 21.0% compare
  7. 84 Niger 21.0% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land area that is protected in Italy?
Share of land area that is protected in Italy was 21.5% 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 2013.
How does Italy rank for share of land area that is protected?
Italy ranks 81st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Italy 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.