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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | NA | NA | NA |
| Belgium | 1 | 100.00 | 1.00 |
| Belize | 1 | 100.00 | 17.80 |
| Australia | 1 | 100.00 | 53.00 |
| Brazil | 1 | 100.00 | 90.00 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Bahamas | 36 | 71.30 | 69.40 |
| Bulgaria | 40 | 55.80 | 29.50 |
| Argentina | 46 | 43.00 | 40.40 |
| Bangladesh | 48 | 29.90 | 15.40 |
| Albania | 57 | 14.70 | 10.00 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 81 | 2.60 | 1.20 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 92 | 1.20 | NA |
| Angola | 119 | NA | NA |
| Armenia | NA | NA | NA |
| Austria | NA | NA | NA |
| Azerbaijan | NA | NA | NA |
| Burundi | NA | NA | NA |
| Bahrain | 61 | 10.30 | NA |
| Benin | 119 | NA | NA |
| Burkina Faso | NA | NA | NA |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | NA | NA | NA |
| Belarus | NA | NA | NA |
| Bolivia | NA | NA | NA |
| Colombia | 1 | 100.00 | 22.00 |
| Canada | 39 | 65.40 | 62.50 |
| Barbados | 115 | 0.10 | NA |
| Bhutan | NA | NA | NA |
| Botswana | NA | NA | NA |
| Central African Republic | NA | NA | NA |
| Chile | 1 | 100.00 | 99.60 |
| Germany | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Cyprus | 33 | 85.20 | 0.30 |
| Costa Rica | 51 | 24.30 | 17.10 |
| Cuba | 56 | 15.10 | 11.70 |
| Djibouti | 87 | 1.80 | NA |
| China | 89 | 1.60 | 0.20 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 98 | 1.00 | NA |
| Comoros | 103 | 0.70 | 0.70 |
| Switzerland | NA | NA | NA |
| Cameroon | 119 | NA | NA |
| Dem. Rep. Congo | NA | NA | NA |
| Republic of Congo | 119 | NA | NA |
| Cabo Verde | 119 | NA | NA |
| Czech Republic | NA | NA | NA |
| Denmark | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Ecuador | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Spain | 1 | 100.00 | 50.20 |
| Estonia | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Finland | 1 | 100.00 | 8.70 |
| France | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Japan | 1 | 100.00 | 36.90 |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 100.00 | 95.70 |
| Gabon | 1 | 100.00 | 95.90 |
| Croatia | 34 | 79.40 | 76.90 |
| Italy | 38 | 66.70 | 4.00 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 41 | 53.10 | 50.30 |
| Honduras | 44 | 43.80 | 34.90 |
| Greece | 47 | 40.50 | 7.50 |
| Indonesia | 49 | 29.60 | 8.40 |
| Ireland | 52 | 21.30 | 10.00 |
| Egypt | 61 | 10.30 | 1.30 |
| Cambodia | 64 | 9.60 | 9.60 |
| Fiji | 66 | 9.50 | NA |
| Haiti | 71 | 6.90 | 6.90 |
| Iceland | 75 | 4.00 | 0.40 |
| Kenya | 77 | 3.70 | 0.50 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 86 | 1.90 | NA |
| Jamaica | 91 | 1.50 | NA |
| Grenada | 92 | 1.20 | 0.80 |
| Iran | 92 | 1.20 | NA |
| Dominica | 108 | 0.40 | NA |
| Algeria | 113 | 0.20 | NA |
| Eritrea | 119 | NA | NA |
| Ethiopia | NA | NA | NA |
| Ghana | 97 | 1.10 | NA |
| India | 111 | 0.30 | NA |
| Israel | 111 | 0.30 | NA |
| Guatemala | 113 | 0.20 | NA |
| Micronesia | 115 | 0.10 | NA |
| Georgia | 119 | NA | NA |
| Guinea | 119 | NA | NA |
| Gambia | 119 | NA | NA |
| Guyana | 119 | NA | NA |
| Hungary | NA | NA | NA |
| Iraq | NA | NA | NA |
| Jordan | NA | NA | NA |
| Kazakhstan | NA | NA | NA |
| Kyrgyzstan | NA | NA | NA |
| Kiribati | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Lithuania | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Latvia | 1 | 100.00 | 25.30 |
| Mexico | 1 | 100.00 | 88.20 |
| Panama | 1 | 100.00 | 90.50 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| New Zealand | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Poland | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Malta | 35 | 78.10 | 47.10 |
| Norway | 43 | 44.10 | 3.80 |
| Portugal | 45 | 43.30 | 18.30 |
| Malaysia | 50 | 27.70 | 16.70 |
| South Korea | 54 | 17.20 | 2.80 |
| Namibia | 55 | 16.80 | NA |
| Philippines | 58 | 14.60 | 12.90 |
| Nicaragua | 67 | 8.80 | 6.80 |
| Madagascar | 69 | 7.80 | 5.70 |
| Pakistan | 71 | 6.90 | NA |
| Myanmar | 78 | 3.60 | NA |
| Mozambique | 79 | 3.40 | NA |
| Marshall Islands | 82 | 2.40 | NA |
| Morocco | 83 | 2.30 | 2.10 |
| Lebanon | 84 | 2.20 | 0.20 |
| Saint Lucia | 87 | 1.80 | NA |
| Kuwait | 92 | 1.20 | 1.20 |
| Laos | NA | NA | NA |
| Liberia | 98 | 1.00 | NA |
| Sri Lanka | 103 | 0.70 | 0.10 |
| Maldives | 103 | 0.70 | 0.30 |
| Lesotho | NA | NA | NA |
| Luxembourg | NA | NA | NA |
| Moldova | NA | NA | NA |
| North Macedonia | NA | NA | NA |
| Mali | NA | NA | NA |
| Montenegro | 106 | 0.60 | NA |
| Mongolia | NA | NA | NA |
| Peru | 89 | 1.60 | NA |
| Papua New Guinea | 92 | 1.20 | NA |
| Oman | 108 | 0.40 | NA |
| Mauritania | 115 | 0.10 | NA |
| Mauritius | 119 | NA | NA |
| Malawi | NA | NA | NA |
| Niger | NA | NA | NA |
| Nigeria | 119 | NA | NA |
| Nepal | NA | NA | NA |
| Paraguay | NA | NA | NA |
| Romania | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Sudan | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| Sweden | 1 | 100.00 | 44.90 |
| Seychelles | 1 | 100.00 | 98.10 |
| United States of America | 1 | 100.00 | NA |
| South Africa | 1 | 100.00 | 97.20 |
| Ukraine | 37 | 69.30 | NA |
| Thailand | 42 | 44.60 | 28.90 |
| Saudi Arabia | 53 | 20.70 | NA |
| Senegal | 59 | 12.60 | 5.60 |
| Venezuela | 60 | 11.40 | NA |
| Tunisia | 63 | 9.90 | 3.70 |
| Tanzania | 64 | 9.60 | 0.10 |
| Taiwan | 68 | 8.40 | NA |
| Timor-Leste | 70 | 7.30 | NA |
| Sierra Leone | 73 | 5.70 | 5.70 |
| El Salvador | 74 | 4.20 | 2.00 |
| Viet Nam | 76 | 3.80 | 0.30 |
| Uruguay | 80 | 3.30 | 2.20 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 85 | 2.10 | NA |
| Russia | 100 | 0.90 | NA |
| Tonga | 107 | 0.50 | NA |
| Qatar | 119 | NA | NA |
| Rwanda | NA | NA | NA |
| Solomon Islands | 101 | 0.80 | NA |
| Singapore | 119 | NA | NA |
| Serbia | NA | NA | NA |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 119 | NA | NA |
| Suriname | 119 | NA | NA |
| Slovakia | NA | NA | NA |
| Slovenia | NA | NA | NA |
| Eswatini | NA | NA | NA |
| Chad | NA | NA | NA |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 108 | 0.40 | NA |
| Togo | 119 | NA | NA |
| Tajikistan | NA | NA | NA |
| Turkmenistan | NA | NA | NA |
| Turkey | 119 | NA | NA |
| Uganda | NA | NA | NA |
| Uzbekistan | NA | NA | NA |
| Samoa | 101 | 0.80 | NA |
| Vanuatu | 115 | 0.10 | NA |
| Zambia | NA | NA | NA |
| Zimbabwe | NA | NA | NA |