A third of Malta is covered with built-up and other artificial areas, making it the most built up country in the EU.
It is followed by Belgium (13 per cent) and Luxembourg and the Netherlands (both 12 per cent).
In its Land Use/Cover Area frame Survey 2012, Eurostat says that buildings, roads and other artificial areas cover five per cent of the EU. Forests cover 40 per cent.
| Land cover, 2012, in % of total area | |||||||
| Forest and other wooded land | Cropland | Grassland | Water/ wetland | Built-up and other artificial areas * | Shrub land * | Bare land * | |
| EU27 | 41 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Belgium | 25 | 28 | 32 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulgaria | 43 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 39 | 34 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | 18 | 49 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Germany | 33 | 33 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Estonia | 61 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Ireland | 13 | 5 | 67 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Greece | 37 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 3 |
| Spain | 37 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 5 |
| France | 32 | 31 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Italy | 35 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Cyprus | 30 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 7 |
| Latvia | 56 | 14 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Lithuania | 39 | 27 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Luxembourg | 31 | 18 | 37 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Hungary | 24 | 47 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Malta | 5 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 33 | 15 | 8 |
| Netherlands | 13 | 23 | 38 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| Austria | 48 | 18 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Poland | 36 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Portugal | 44 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| Romania | 31 | 36 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Slovenia | 60 | 12 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 46 | 28 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Finland | 72 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 76 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 20 | 22 | 40 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
The shares might not sum up to 100% due to rounding.
* Built-up and other artificial areas include roofed constructions, such as buildings and greenhouses, non-built up areas, such as yards, car parks, cemeteries and linear features, such as roads and rail networks. Shrub land is an area dominated by shrubs and low woody plants capable of reaching heights up to 5m. Bare land is an area with no dominant vegetation or areas covered by lichens.