Marine protected areas in Congo
Congo: Marine protected areas was 14.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Marine protected areas in Congo, 2013–2025
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 . Measured in % of territorial waters.
Analysis
Congo recorded 14.1% for marine protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 302.9% on the previous year and up 340.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marine protected areas in Congo peaked at 14.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2020.
That places Congo 41st out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 3.0% | 14.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 38 Sweden 16.1% compare
- 39 South Africa 15.4% compare
- 40 Gibraltar 14.2% compare
- 42 Japan 13.8% compare
- 43 Dominican Republic 13.3% compare
- 44 Argentina 12.0% compare
- 44 United Arab Emirates 12.0% compare
More climate change data for Congo
- Population growth 2.4% (2025)
- Population, total 6.48 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.7% (2025)
- Urban population 4.16 million (2025)
- Urban population 64.1% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 65.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.046 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 36.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 34.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marine protected areas in Congo?
- Marine protected areas in Congo was 14.1% in 2025, according to 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 .
- What is the highest marine protected areas recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest marine protected areas recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2020.
- How does Congo rank for marine protected areas?
- Congo ranks 41st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is marine protected areas rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 340.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from 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 , published as part of Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.