Share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of land area that is protected was 18.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia stood at 18.5%.
That represents a change of down 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia peaked at 31.3% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2016.
That places Saudi Arabia 97th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 31.3% | — |
| 2014 | 31.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 31.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -86.3% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | +11.6% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.6% | +225.0% |
| 2024 | 18.5% | +18.6% |
| 2025 | 18.5% | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 18.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 21.5%, 86% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 18.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10.0%, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.1% | 4.3% | 31.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 4.8% | 18.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of land area that is protected in Saudi Arabia was 18.5% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2016.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 97th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.