Share of land area that is protected in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of land area that is protected was 30.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of land area that is protected in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 30.8%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Sri Lanka peaked at 30.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.0%, in 2013.
That places Sri Lanka 35th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 27.8% | 22.0% | 29.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 29.9% | 30.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1264 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.2745 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7892 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.372 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 292.34 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 Sri Lanka?
- Share of land area that is protected in Sri Lanka was 30.8% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.0% in 2013.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Sri Lanka ranks 35th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
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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.