India is home to four big cats in the wild: the tiger, the Asiatic lion, the leopard and the snow leopard. Each is counted by a different survey, on a different cycle. This story brings the latest official numbers together.
3,682
Tigers, 2022 (range 3,167 to 3,925)
13,874
Leopards, 2022 (range 12,616 to 15,132)
891
Asiatic lions, 2025
718
Snow leopards, 2019 to 2023 survey
Tigers: more than doubled since 2006
The All India Tiger Estimation is run every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India. It uses camera traps, sign surveys and statistical models.
Estimated number of wild tigers in India
Mean estimate from each All India Tiger Estimation
The 2026 cycle is under way. National results are expected in 2027.
Source: NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India, Status of Tigers 2022
India holds about three quarters of the world's wild tigers. Four states account for close to two thirds of them.
Tigers by state, 2022
States with 50 or more tigers
Source: NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India, Status of Tigers 2022
The gains are not even. Madhya Pradesh added 259 tigers between 2018 and 2022. Arunachal Pradesh fell from 29 to 9. Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand each recorded fewer tigers than in 2018.
Asiatic lions: one landscape, spreading out
The Asiatic lion survives in the wild only in Gujarat. The state counts its lions every five years.
Asiatic lions in Gujarat
Lion population estimation by the Gujarat Forest Department
Source: Gujarat Forest Department; 16th Lion Population Estimation, Global Ecology and Conservation (2025)
The 2025 count found 891 lions, up 32% from 2020. Only 394 were in the core Gir and Pania area. The rest live in satellite populations across Saurashtra, including the coast and Bhavnagar district. Many of these lions now live on farmland and wasteland near villages.
This is good news for numbers and a risk for the species. A single disease outbreak or disaster in one region could still hit the whole population.
Leopards: the most widespread big cat
The 2022 leopard estimate covered about 70% of the leopard's range in India. It found 13,874 leopards, up 8% from 12,852 in 2018.
Leopards in the four leading states, 2022. Source: Status of Leopards in India 2022, NTCA and WII.
Central India and the Eastern Ghats hold the largest share. The Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains recorded a decline, from 1,253 to 1,109.
Snow leopards: counted for the first time
The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India ran from 2019 to 2023. It covered about 1.2 lakh square kilometres of high mountain habitat with 1,971 camera trap locations.
Snow leopards by state and UT. Source: Status of Snow Leopards in India, MoEFCC and WII.
Two in three of India's snow leopards live in Ladakh.
How to read these numbers
Each figure is an estimate with a range, not a headcount. Methods have improved between cycles, so part of any increase reflects better surveys. The direction for tigers and lions is still clear and well documented.