2015 findings showed that man-made structures covered 9.8% of the surface of the grand duchy, but that was nothing compared to Malta where humans have built on over a fifth (23.7%) of land. The podium is completed by the Netherlands in second place (12.1%), and Belgium (11.4%).

When it came to cities, London and Brussels had the highest share of artificial areas.

The countries with the highest proportion of land surface left to nature were Latvia, Finland and Sweden (all 1.6%).

Eurostat carries out the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (Lucas) every three years to observe changes in land use. The next survey is currently being conducted.