Which country in Oceania has the most protected land?

New Zealand has the most protected land in Oceania: 33.4% of the land protected (2025). Next come Palau (31.4% of the land protected) and Kiribati (22.9% of the land protected).

Which country in Oceania has the least protected land?

Nauru, with 0.0% of the land protected (2025).

What is the typical protected land of a country in Oceania?

The median of the 13 countries in Oceania is 7.9% of the land protected: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

The share of the land in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas. Source: World Bank, 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Oceania by protected land

The share of the land in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas. 13 countries in Oceania, highest first. World Bank, 2025

See it on the map

Map: Protected land — Oceania — **4.6%10%15%19%23%32%**No data

Highest

33.4%

New Zealand

Median country

7.9%

half above, half below

Lowest

0.0%

Nauru

Countries in Oceania by protected land, World Bank, 2025
#	Country	% of land	Region
1	New Zealand	33.4%	Australia and New Zealand
2	Palau	31.4%	Micronesia
3	Kiribati	22.9%	Micronesia
4	Australia	22.0%	Australia and New Zealand
5	Marshall Islands	16.1%	Micronesia
6	Tonga	13.3%	Polynesia
7	Samoa	7.9%	Polynesia
8	Vanuatu	4.8%	Melanesia
9	Fiji	3.9%	Melanesia
10	Papua New Guinea	3.7%	Melanesia
11	Solomon Islands	2.4%	Melanesia
=12	Micronesia	0.0%	Micronesia
=12	Nauru	0.0%	Micronesia

Territories and other places

Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.

Place	% of land	Status
New Caledonia	59.6%	Territory of France
American Samoa	16.4%	Territory of United States of America
French Polynesia	5.6%	Territory of France
Guam	4.2%	Territory of United States of America
Northern Mariana Islands	2.8%	Territory of United States of America

Questions

Which country in Oceania has the most protected land?: New Zealand has the most protected land in Oceania: 33.4% of the land protected (2025). Next come Palau (31.4% of the land protected) and Kiribati (22.9% of the land protected).
Which country in Oceania has the least protected land?: Nauru, with 0.0% of the land protected (2025).
What is the typical protected land of a country in Oceania?: The median of the 13 countries in Oceania is 7.9% of the land protected: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: The share of the land in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas. Source: World Bank, 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.