Protected Nature 2025
Increase in protected marine areas 2025
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-05-29 8.00
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.
In addition to the newly protected marine areas, a further 41,500 hectares of land and 1,900 hectares of inland waters were added to the formally protected area in 2025. Most of the new land and inland water areas were located within new or expanded nature reserves in the mountain region of northern Sweden.
The total protected area on 31 December 2025 amounted to almost 9.5 million hectares, including areas within Sweden’s exclusive economic zone. Almost all of this area was permanently protected under the Environmental Code, including the national parks, nature reserves, nature conservation areas, habitat protection areas, the National City Park and Natura 2000 sites. The protection also includes time‑limited protection in the form of nature conservation agreements and an agreement between the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Fortifications Agency.
Formally Protected Nature in Sweden, 31/12/2025
Definitions and explanations
A protected area is a clearly defined geographical area that is permanently designated, regulated and managed to achieve specific objectives and conservation goals. Sweden’s national and official statistics on protected nature include data on protected areas in accordance with Chapter 7 of the Environmental Code. In addition, protected rivers, nature conservation agreements under the Land Code, intra‑governmental agreements, and forest land covered by financial compensation schemes are reported. The data refer to areas that had entered into force on 31 December 2025.
In cooperation with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Statistics Sweden produces annual official statistics on protected nature. The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management also participates in this work. The aim is to describe Sweden’s land use with regard to area‑based protection.
Most of the data are derived from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s central register of protected areas. This register also includes Sweden’s Natura 2000 sites. The information is available via the mapping tool Skyddad natur (Protected Nature), accessible through the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s website.