Denmark: Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Denmark's marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) rose 8.5 percentage points on 2024 (from 18.6% to 27.1%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2024), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.32 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 26.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 8.5 percentage points in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.4 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.55 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 34% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Denmark had the 19th highest value of the 169 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Denmark in the 2025 ranking

• Northern Mariana Islands — 16th of 169: 32.4%
• New Zealand — 17th of 169: 30.4%
• Costa Rica — 18th of 169: 28.4%
• Gabon — 20th of 169: 26.8%
• Brazil — 21st of 169: 26.6%
• Panama — 22nd of 169: 26.3%

What this measures

Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.

Limitations: The data source for this indicator is the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), the most comprehensive global dataset on marine and terrestrial protected areas available. The extent to which the land areas, including inland waters, and territorial waters of a country/territory are protected is useful for planning purpose to protect biodiversity. However, it is neither an indication of how well managed the terrestrial and marine protected areas are, nor confirmation that protection measures are effectively enforced. Further, the indicator does not provide information on non-designated or internationally designated protected areas that may also be important for conserving biodiversity.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 13 values

Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) in nearby economies

• Albania — 3.4% (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 1% (2025)
• Belgium — 38.3% (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0% (2025)
• Bulgaria — 8.2% (2025)
• Croatia — 9.3% (2025)
• Cyprus — 8.6% (2025)
• Estonia — 19.2% (2025)
• Faroe Islands — 0% (2025)
• Finland

More environment data for Denmark

• Population in largest city — 1.4 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 26.24% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.4 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 23.31% (2025)
• Rural population — 670,272 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 11.15% (2025)
• Urban population — 5.34 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 88.85% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 28,411 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Denmark's marine protected areas (% of territorial waters)?

27.1% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is up 9.5 percentage points from 17.6% in 2013. The highest value was 27.1% in 2025 and the lowest 17.6% in 2013.

How does Denmark rank?

19th highest of 169 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) unusual for Denmark?

In 2025, Denmark's marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) rose 8.5 percentage points on 2024 (from 18.6% to 27.1%). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2024), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.32 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 26.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), uri: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en, note: Only the latest data can be retri… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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