Share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Share of land area that is protected was 19.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates, 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
The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates is 19.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates peaked at 19.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2016.
United Arab Emirates ranks 92nd of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 18.6% | — |
| 2014 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | -29.6% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +32.1% |
| 2018 | 18.0% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 18.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 19.2% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 19.2% | +0.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 19.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 21.5%, 89% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 19.2% 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 | 17.5% | 13.1% | 18.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 19.2% | 19.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More reference data data for United Arab Emirates
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0407 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4839 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0486 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0008 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates?
- Share of land area that is protected in United Arab Emirates was 19.2% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2016.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of land area that is protected?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 92nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.