What are the extent, degree, dynamics and spatial pattern of surface sealing (imperviousness) in Europe?

Key messages

(16 Sep 2019)

For the reference year 2015, 85 861 km² of the total area covered by the EEA-39 countries were mapped and categorised as 'sealed surface' in the Copernicus imperviousness product. This corresponds to 1.466 % of the total EEA-39 area.

Between 2006 and 2015, soil sealing (imperviousness) in all EEA-39 countries increased by a total of 3 859 km2_, an annual average increase of 429 km². During this period, the average annual increase in soil sealing relative to country area varied from 0 % to 0.088 %.

In 2015, the percentage of a countries' total area that was sealed also varied greatly, with values ranging from 16.17 % (Malta) to 0.07 % (Iceland). The highest sealing values, as a percentage of country area, occurred in small countries with high population densities, while the lowest sealing values can be found in large countries with low population densities.

The average annual increase in sealing was 460 km² between 2006-2009, increasing to 492 km² for the 2009-2012 period and slowing to 334 km² for the 2012-2015 period. The slow-down in the sealing increase between the two reference periods occurred in 31 out of 39 countries. The same trend is visible for sealing figures normalised by the size of the country (the % of the country newly sealed on average annually for the three periods).

The most problematic situation occurs in countries where there is already a high percentage of sealing and where the annual rate of increase relative to country area is high. Even more problematic are situations where, for 2012-2015, the rate of sealing increase is accelerating, in contrast to the general trend of a slowing rate of increase.

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