Rural land area where elevation is below 5 meters (% of total land area) - Country Ranking - Europe

Definition: Rural land area below 5m is the percentage of total land where the rural land elevation is 5 meters or less.

Source: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.e

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Netherlands 32.91 2010
2 Denmark 11.59 2010
3 Albania 4.56 2010
4 Germany 3.55 2010
5 Monaco 3.09 2010
6 United Kingdom 3.04 2010
7 Belgium 2.77 2010
8 Italy 2.58 2010
9 Greece 2.28 2010
10 Romania 2.27 2010
11 Iceland 2.22 2010
12 Norway 1.71 2010
13 Estonia 1.70 2010
14 Ireland 1.69 2010
15 Malta 1.43 2010
16 Latvia 1.30 2010
17 Ukraine 1.09 2010
18 Lithuania 1.08 2010
19 France 1.05 2010
20 Poland 0.94 2010
21 Moldova 0.87 2010
22 Portugal 0.85 2010
23 Croatia 0.82 2010
24 Cyprus 0.79 2010
25 Sweden 0.65 2010
26 Turkey 0.43 2010
27 Spain 0.43 2010
28 Finland 0.41 2010
29 Bulgaria 0.13 2010
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.07 2010
31 Slovenia 0.01 2010
32 San Marino 0.00 2010
32 North Macedonia 0.00 2010
32 Belarus 0.00 2010
32 Switzerland 0.00 2010
32 Luxembourg 0.00 2010

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Development Relevance: Scientists use the terms climate change and global warming to refer to the gradual increase in the Earth's surface temperature that has accelerated since the industrial revolution and especially over the past two decades. Most global warming has been caused by human activities that have changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere through a buildup of greenhouse gases - primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Rising global temperatures will cause sea level rise and alter local climate conditions, affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies, and may affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems.

Limitations and Exceptions: The 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) assessment report concluded that global warming is “unequivocal” and gave the strongest warning yet about the role of human activities. The report estimated that sea levels would rise approximately 49 centimeters over the next 100 years, with a range of uncertainty of 20–86 centimeters. That will lead to increased coastal flooding through direct inundation and a higher base for storm surges, allowing flooding of larger areas and higher elevations. Climate model simulations predict an increase in average surface air temperature of about 2.5°C by 2100 (Kattenberg and others 1996) and increase of “killer” heat waves during the warm season (Karl and others 1997).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Elevation data used to generate the low elevation coastal zones come from the SRTM3 Enhanced Global Map developed by ISCIENCES. The ISCIENCES digital elevation model was created using NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data processed to 3 arc-seconds (SRTM3).

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual