Published 2026-06-08 · data 2024 · percent of ocean area
Seven percent of the ocean is protected
Marine protected areas grew — but most blue water is still open to industrial fishing and shipping.
Nearly nine-tenths of the ocean has no real protection. As of 2024, just 8% of the sea sits in marine protected areas and 4% more under limited rules — the other 88% stays open to industrial fishing and shipping. Governments pledged 30% by 2030; the ocean is far behind.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of ocean area (0.1% of ocean surface) · 1,000 cells
Context
The grid's shares are rounded from MPAtlas and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), published through Protected Planet, which lists 16,942 marine protected areas. Estimates span roughly 7–10% depending on the source and definitions: this edition counts 8% as protected plus 4% limited, while Protected Planet's latest statistics report 9.81% marine coverage, or 10.03% including OECMs — other effective area-based conservation measures.
Designation is not the same as safety. Many marine protected areas still allow some industrial fishing or shipping, and 'limited protection' means only partial rules — one reason Protected Planet separately compiles thousands of assessments of how well sites are actually managed.
The yardstick is the global '30 by 30' pledge to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030; the Protected Planet Report 2024 tracks progress toward it. From 8% in 2024, ocean coverage would need to nearly quadruple in six years.
MPAtlas / WDPA ~7% ocean in MPAs, rounded.
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Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-06-08-protected-ocean-share