Overview

• The SAIEE 2021–25 report places the national population between 18,255 and 26,645, with a point estimate of 22,446.
• Genetic analysis of 21,056 dung samples identified 4,065 individual elephants after teams walked about 667,000 km and recorded over 310,000 dung plots, with the release delayed nearly four years by lab processing and validation.
• Officials note the figure is about 18% lower than 2017’s 27,312, yet warn past counts used different methods and are not directly comparable.
• Populations concentrate in the Western Ghats (11,934) and the Northeast (6,559), with Karnataka (6,013), Assam (4,159) and Tamil Nadu (3,136) hosting the largest state totals.
• The report highlights habitat fragmentation, infrastructure and mining pressures and urges stronger connectivity and enforcement to reduce conflict and secure corridors.