Share of land area that is protected in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of land area that is protected was 13.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of land area that is protected in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria stood at 13.9%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Nigeria peaked at 13.9% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2013.
That places Nigeria 133rd out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of land area that is protected in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13.9% | — |
| 2014 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 13.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 74% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 13.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in Nigeria?
- Share of land area that is protected in Nigeria was 13.9% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 13.9% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2013.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Nigeria ranks 133rd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.