The global Ocean Health Index measures the state of the world’s oceans.
The global OHI score for the 2024 assessment was 69, which was quite a bit lower than last year’s score of 73. This was due to COVID-related declines in tourism and recreation [the 2024 scores reflect 2021 data]. You can explore this and other goals using the interactive map which shows how different countries and goals contribute to the global score, as well as how the score has changed since 2012. Click on colored regions (i.e. EEZs) to see short country summaries.
Results are shown for the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 220 coastal countries or territories. EEZs generally extend 200 nautical miles (370 KM) offshore from the coast and describe the part of the ocean that a country assumes jurisdiction for the exploration and use of resources.
A country’s Index score is the average of 10 “goal” scores which represent the ecological, social, and economic benefits that people expect from healthy oceans. Each goal is scored from 0 to 100 based on the delivery of benefits with respect to a sustainable target. Lower scores indicate that more benefits could be gained or that current methods are harming the delivery of future benefits. When a goal is not relevant to a specific region, no value (N/A) is shown and that goal is not included in the calculation of the region’s overall Index score.
The global score is the average of the country scores, weighted by the area of their EEZ.
Explore the METHODOLOGY tab to learn about the general OHI framework or dive deep into the nitty-gritty details of the global assessment.