We calculate the marine protected areas indicator as the percentage of a country’s total Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) lying within marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs represent a critical tool for protecting marine ecosystems from unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, and human disturbance. A score of 100 indicates that a country protects at least 10% of its total EEZ area, corresponding to Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Data for this indicator come from the World Database on Protected Areas.
Marine protected areas
| Country | Rank | EPI Score | 10-Year Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | - | - | - |
| Afghanistan | - | - | - |
| Armenia | - | - | - |
| Uzbekistan | - | - | - |
| Uganda | - | - | - |
| Turkmenistan | - | - | - |
| Tajikistan | - | - | - |
| Chad | - | - | - |
| Eswatini | - | - | - |
| Nepal | - | - | - |
| Slovenia | - | - | - |
| Slovakia | - | - | - |
| Burkina Faso | - | - | - |
| Serbia | - | - | - |
| Niger | - | - | - |
| Malawi | - | - | - |
| Mongolia | - | - | - |
| Mali | - | - | - |
| North Macedonia | - | - | - |
| Rwanda | - | - | - |
| Moldova | - | - | - |
| Paraguay | - | - | - |
| Zambia | - | - | - |
| Luxembourg | - | - | - |
| Dem. Rep. Congo | - | - | - |
| Lesotho | - | - | - |
| Laos | - | - | - |
| Ethiopia | - | - | - |
| Zimbabwe | - | - | - |
| Kyrgyzstan | - | - | - |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | - | - | - |
| Belarus | - | - | - |
| Burundi | - | - | - |
| Kazakhstan | - | - | - |
| Switzerland | - | - | - |
| Jordan | - | - | - |
| Azerbaijan | - | - | - |
| Bolivia | - | - | - |
| Austria | - | - | - |
| Iraq | - | - | - |
| Central African Republic | - | - | - |
| Botswana | - | - | - |
| Hungary | - | - | - |
| Bhutan | - | - | - |
| Latvia | 1 | 100 | - |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 100 | 94.6 |
| Chile | 1 | 100 | 99.6 |
| Poland | 1 | 100 | - |
| Denmark | 1 | 100 | - |
| New Zealand | 1 | 100 | - |
| Spain | 1 | 100 | 90 |
| Kiribati | 1 | 100 | - |
| Seychelles | 1 | 100 | - |
| Estonia | 1 | 100 | - |
| Brazil | 1 | 100 | 90 |
| Belgium | 1 | 100 | - |
| South Africa | 1 | 100 | 97.2 |
| France | 1 | 100 | - |
| United States of America | 1 | 100 | - |
| Ecuador | 1 | 100 | - |
| Mexico | 1 | 100 | 88.8 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 100 | - |
| Gabon | 1 | 100 | 95.9 |
| Australia | 1 | 100 | 44.8 |
| Germany | 1 | 100 | - |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 100 | - |
| Sweden | 1 | 100 | 39.4 |
| Belize | 1 | 100 | 27.7 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 100 | - |
| Sudan | 1 | 100 | - |
| Colombia | 1 | 100 | 22 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 100 | 21.8 |
| Finland | 1 | 100 | 2.5 |
| Romania | 1 | 100 | - |
| Malta | 31 | 78.1 | 77.6 |
| Croatia | 32 | 74.9 | 72.5 |
| Japan | 33 | 71.5 | 5.7 |
| Bahamas | 34 | 71.3 | 69.4 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 35 | 59.3 | 8.5 |
| Bulgaria | 36 | 55.8 | 16.1 |
| Italy | 37 | 45.9 | 0.1 |
| Norway | 38 | 43.8 | 3.7 |
| Argentina | 39 | 43 | 40.4 |
| Portugal | 40 | 41.1 | 35.8 |
| Greece | 41 | 40.5 | 0.8 |
| Honduras | 42 | 39.6 | 30.7 |
| Bangladesh | 43 | 29.9 | 15.4 |
| Indonesia | 44 | 29.6 | 8.4 |
| Canada | 45 | 27 | 24.2 |
| Ukraine | 46 | 26.1 | - |
| Costa Rica | 47 | 23.2 | 17.4 |
| Ireland | 48 | 21.3 | 7.9 |
| Saudi Arabia | 49 | 20.7 | - |
| Venezuela | 50 | 20.1 | - |
| Russia | 51 | 18 | - |
| South Korea | 52 | 17.2 | 2.8 |
| Republic of Congo | 53 | 17.1 | - |
| Thailand | 54 | 16.9 | 0.3 |
| Namibia | 55 | 16.8 | - |
| Cuba | 56 | 15.1 | 11.7 |
| Albania | 57 | 14.7 | 10 |
| Bahrain | 58 | 10.3 | - |
| Egypt | 58 | 10.3 | 1.3 |
| Tunisia | 60 | 9.9 | 3.7 |
| Tanzania | 61 | 9.6 | 0.1 |
| Fiji | 62 | 9.5 | - |
| Panama | 63 | 9.3 | 0.1 |
| Philippines | 63 | 9.3 | 0.4 |
| Malaysia | 65 | 8.6 | - |
| Taiwan | 66 | 8.4 | - |
| Nicaragua | 67 | 7.5 | - |
| Madagascar | 68 | 7 | 5.1 |
| Haiti | 69 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Senegal | 69 | 6.9 | - |
| Pakistan | 69 | 6.9 | - |
| Sierra Leone | 72 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Kenya | 73 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Viet Nam | 74 | 3.8 | 0.3 |
| Myanmar | 75 | 3.6 | - |
| Iceland | 75 | 3.6 | - |
| Uruguay | 77 | 3.3 | 2.2 |
| El Salvador | 78 | 2.7 | 0.5 |
| Marshall Islands | 79 | 2.4 | - |
| Mozambique | 80 | 2.2 | - |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 81 | 2.1 | - |
| Equatorial Guinea | 82 | 1.9 | - |
| Djibouti | 83 | 1.8 | - |
| Saint Lucia | 83 | 1.8 | - |
| China | 85 | 1.6 | 0.2 |
| Peru | 85 | 1.6 | - |
| Jamaica | 87 | 1.5 | - |
| Brunei Darussalam | 88 | 1.2 | - |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 88 | 1.2 | - |
| Papua New Guinea | 88 | 1.2 | - |
| Kuwait | 88 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| India | 88 | 1.2 | - |
| Iran | 88 | 1.2 | - |
| Ghana | 94 | 1.1 | - |
| Grenada | 95 | 1 | 0.6 |
| Liberia | 95 | 1 | - |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 95 | 1 | - |
| Samoa | 98 | 0.9 | - |
| Solomon Islands | 99 | 0.8 | - |
| Sri Lanka | 100 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Algeria | 101 | 0.6 | - |
| Montenegro | 101 | 0.6 | - |
| Morocco | 103 | 0.5 | - |
| Cyprus | 103 | 0.5 | - |
| Maldives | 103 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Tonga | 103 | 0.5 | - |
| Oman | 107 | 0.4 | - |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 107 | 0.4 | - |
| Dominica | 107 | 0.4 | - |
| Israel | 110 | 0.3 | - |
| Comoros | 111 | 0.2 | - |
| Guatemala | 111 | 0.2 | - |
| Mauritania | 113 | 0.1 | - |
| Barbados | 113 | 0.1 | - |
| Micronesia | 113 | 0.1 | - |
| Vanuatu | 113 | 0.1 | - |
| Qatar | 117 | - | - |
| Singapore | 117 | - | - |
| Cabo Verde | 117 | - | - |
| Togo | 117 | - | - |
| Turkey | 117 | - | - |
| Benin | 117 | - | - |
| Suriname | 117 | - | - |
| Cameroon | 117 | - | - |
| Lebanon | 117 | - | - |
| Cambodia | 117 | - | - |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 117 | - | - |
| Georgia | 117 | - | - |
| Guinea | 117 | - | - |
| Gambia | 117 | - | - |
| Nigeria | 117 | - | - |
| Mauritius | 117 | - | - |
| Timor-Leste | 117 | - | - |
| Guyana | 117 | - | - |
| Eritrea | 117 | - | - |
| Angola | 117 | - | - |