Protected nature

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The purpose of this survey is to give an overall view of protected areas in Sweden. Protected areas are defined here as statutory protection of nature regulated by the Environmental Code, such as national parks, nature reserves etc.

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Statistical news

Increase in protected marine areas 2025

2026-05-29

At the end of 2025, 15.7 per cent of Sweden’s total area was formally protected. The total increase during the year amounted to 232,600 hectares and mainly comprised marine areas in the Baltic Sea, in the form of new or expanded Natura 2000 sites. A new marine national park was also established, Nämdöskärgården National Park in Stockholm County.

All statistical news for this statistic

Tables and graphs

Name	Type	Date
National parks 2025		2026-05-29
Formally Protected Nature in Sweden 31/12/2025	Table	2026-05-29
Productive forest land in national parks and nature reserves, by region. 31 December 2025	Excel file	2026-05-29
Formally protected forest land within and below the mountain region, aggregated forms of protection. 31/12/2025	Graph	2026-05-29
Cultural reserves 2025	Excel file	2026-05-29
Protected nature by municipality	Excel file	2026-05-29
National parks, nature reserves and nature management areas in marine surroundings 2025	Excel file	2026-05-29
Protected nature by type 1909–2025	Graph	2026-05-29
Protected nature by form of protection 1909–2025	Graph	2026-05-29

Tables in the Statistical Database

Number of and area

Name	Date
Culture reserves, by region. Year 2000 - 2025	2026-05-29
Water protection areas, number by type of water source and region. Year 2018 - 2025	2026-05-29
Number of areas by protected area designation and region. Year 1991 - 2025	2026-05-29
Area of wildlife sanctuaries by region. Year 1998 - 2025	2026-05-29
The Royal National City Park, area by region. Year 2015 - 2025	2026-05-29
Natura 2000 sites, area by protected area designation and region Year 2002 - 2025	2026-05-29
Area of national parks, nature reserves, nature management areas, habitat protection areas, by region. Year 1998 - 2025	2026-05-29
Area of formally protected nature by protected area designation and region. Year 2018 - 2025	2026-05-29
Area of formally protected nature in the mountain region. Year 2022 - 2025	2026-05-29

Population and accessibility

Name	Date
Population within zone around protected nature and mean distance to protected nature, by region. Year 2013 - 2025	2026-05-29
Protected nature within and around localities with more than 10 000 inhabitants. Year 2018 - 2025	2026-05-29

Decisions, management and land ownership

Name	Date
Suspicion of criminal offence with regard to land conservation, amount. Year 2008 - 2025	2026-05-29
Trustees of protected nature, number of decisions and area by region. Year 2020 - 2025	2026-05-29
Land ownership in nature reserves, by type of landowner and size of land area. Year 2015 - 2025	2026-05-29
Decisions on formations of protected areas, number of decisions and area by region. Year 2020 - 2025	2026-05-29

Nature types

Name	Date
National parks and nature reserves, number by size class. Year 2018 - 2025	2026-05-29
National parks, nature reserves and nature management areas in marine surroundings, by region. Year 2015 - 2025	2026-05-29
New protected areas by type of nature. Year 1998 - 2025	2026-05-29
Productive forest land in national parks and nature reserves by region. Year 2014 - 2025	2026-05-29
Protected areas near the coast and marine surroundings, by region. Year 2019 - 2025	2026-05-29
National parks and nature reserves by type of nature. Year 2017 - 2025	2026-05-29
Formally protected nature by type of nature. Year 2021 - 2025	2026-05-29
Natura 2000 areas by type of nature. Year 2022 - 2025	2026-05-29

Old tables, not updated

Publications

Title	Language	Date
Protected Nature 2025	Swedish	2026-05-29
Protected Nature 2024	Swedish	2025-05-23
Protected Nature 2023	Swedish	2024-05-23
Protected Nature 2022 (Corrected 2024-05-17)	Swedish	2023-05-24
Protected Nature 2021	Swedish	2022-05-24
Protected Nature 2020	Swedish	2021-05-27
Protected Nature 2019	Swedish	2020-05-27
Protected nature 2018. Corrected 2020-05-14	Swedish	2019-05-24
Protected Nature 2017	Swedish	2018-05-23
Protected nature 2016	Swedish	2017-05-22
Protected nature 2015	Swedish with elements of English	2016-05-24
Protected nature 2014	Swedish with elements of English	2015-05-22
Protected nature 2013	Swedish with elements of English	2014-05-23

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Urban Management and Tourism

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Karin Hedeklint

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Linus Rispling

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