Share of land area that is protected in Vanuatu

Vanuatu: Share of land area that is protected was 4.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4.8%
Change on year
up 14.3%
World rank
181st
of 213 countries
All-time high
4.8%
in 2025
All-time low
4.2%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

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

0123452013201920252013: 4.2 % of total land area2014: 4.2 % of total land area2015: 4.2 % of total land area2016: 4.2 % of total land area2017: 4.2 % of total land area2018: 4.2 % of total land area2019: 4.2 % of total land area2020: 4.2 % of total land area2021: 4.2 % of total land area2022: 4.2 % of total land area2023: 4.2 % of total land area2024: 4.2 % of total land area2025: 4.8 % 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 Vanuatu stood at 4.8%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 14.3% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Vanuatu peaked at 4.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2013.

That places Vanuatu 181st out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.2% 4.2% 4.2% 7
2020s 4.3% 4.2% 4.8% 6

Countries ranked near Vanuatu

  1. 178 French Polynesia 5.6% compare
  2. 179 Jordan 5.4% compare
  3. 180 Mauritius 5.0% compare
  4. 182 Algeria 4.7% compare
  5. 183 Isle of Man 4.6% compare
  6. 183 Singapore 4.6% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Vanuatu

All data for Vanuatu →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land area that is protected in Vanuatu?
Share of land area that is protected in Vanuatu was 4.8% 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 Vanuatu?
The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Vanuatu?
The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2013.
How does Vanuatu rank for share of land area that is protected?
Vanuatu ranks 181st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Vanuatu?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Vanuatu 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.