Protected areas in Ireland
Protected areas covered 4.0% of the territory of Ireland in 2025.
Ireland, 2025
4.0%
Change from 2024
−0.1percentage points
European Union, 2025
21.1%
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2025
22.1%
Position in 2025
157th of 213
Protected areas in Ireland over time
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Ireland
European Union
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of total territorial area. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | Ireland | European Union |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.0% | 21.1% |
| 2024 | 4.1% | 20.3% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | 20.1% |
| 2022 | 4.0% | 20.1% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | 20.0% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | 19.9% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | 19.7% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | 19.0% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | 18.3% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | 16.4% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | 15.3% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | 14.6% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | 14.6% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- That is a change of −0.1 percentage points from 4.1% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 4.0%, the figure has changed by 0 percentage points.
- Among the 213 countries with data for 2025, Ireland has the 157th highest value.
- The figure for the European Union in 2025 was 21.1%.