Environment and energy · ranked by Marine protected areas
Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected
| # | Name | Marine protected areas | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 2 | 98 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 3 | 97 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 4 | 96.5 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 5 | 87.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 6 | 52.5 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 7 | 49.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 8 | 46.8 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 9 | 45.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 10 | 45.3 % of territorial waters | new |
Show positions 11–50
| 11 | 41.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 12 | 41.1 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 13 | 38.3 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 14 | 33.5 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 15 | 32.6 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 16 | 32.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 17 | 30.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 18 | 28.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 19 | 27.1 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 20 | 26.8 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 21 | 26.6 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 22 | 26.3 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 23 | 24 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 24 | 23.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 25 | 22.6 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 26 | 21.6 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 27 | 21.5 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 28 | 21.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 29 | 20.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 30 | 19.3 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 31 | 19.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 32 | 19 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 33 | 19 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 34 | 17 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 35 | 16.9 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 36 | 16.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 37 | 16.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 38 | 16.1 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 39 | 15.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 40 | 14.2 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 41 | 14.1 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 42 | 13.8 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 43 | 13.3 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 44 | 12 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 45 | 12 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 46 | 11.9 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 47 | 11.8 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 48 | 11.4 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 49 | 11 % of territorial waters | new | |
| 50 | 10.8 % of territorial waters | new |
History
How the top 10 has moved
Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.
About this ranking
Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected, explained
Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in environment and energy by Marine protected areas, built from public data published by World Bank Open Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.
Monaco currently holds #1 with 100 % of territorial waters. Palau is second with 98 % of territorial waters. St. Martin (French part) completes the top three with 97 % of territorial waters. Together the top three account for about 41% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.
How it is measured: Share of territorial waters in marine areas reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. World Bank indicator ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS; most recent year available per country, regional and income aggregates excluded. Caveat: Countries report in different years; each shows its latest available figure. Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.
Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is #1 in Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected?
- Monaco is #1 with 100 % of territorial waters, as of 2026-11-02. Palau is #2.
- How is Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected ranked?
- By Marine protected areas. Share of territorial waters in marine areas reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. World Bank indicator ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS; most recent year available per country, regional and income aggregates excluded.
- How often is this ranking updated?
- It refreshes on a fixed schedule from World Bank Open Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
- Where does the data come from?
- World Bank Open Data. Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.