Open space per inhabitant is spatially complementary to settlement density. As laid down by the German government in the 2016 national Sustainability Strategy, the loss of open space per inhabitant is to be reduced. According to the IOER Monitor, it amounts to 2.54 m²/inhabitant annually (2020).

The analysis also shows that the decline in agricultural land besides new built-up and transportation areas (44%) is due to other subsequent usages. For example, forest or woodland was mapped on 42% of the agricultural land lost between 2015 and 2020.