India’s Wild Elephant Population Falls 25% in 8 Years: DNA Census

Updated: 16 Oct 2025

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India’s Wild Elephant Population Falls 25% in 8 Years: DNA Census

India’s first nationwide DNA-based census has found that the population of wild elephants in the country has declined by about 25% in eight years, with the current population standing at 22,446.

India’s first nationwide DNA-based census has found that the population of wild elephants in the country has declined by about 25% in eight years, highlighting the growing threats from shrinking forests and increasing conflicts with humans.
Released on October 14, 2025, the report titled ‘The Status of Elephants in India: DNA-based Synchronized All-India Population Estimation of Elephants (SAIEE 2021-25)’ estimated that there are 22,446 elephants across India, down from 29,964 in 2017.
Led by the Wildlife Institute of India, this exercise marks a shift from older counting techniques to the more scientifically robust DNA mark-recapture method. Project Elephant, launched in 1992 to protect elephants and their corridors, was earlier based on visual or dung-based counts.

Key facts

State-wise, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants with 6,013, followed by Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785), Uttarakhand (1,792), and Odisha (912).
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand together have over 650 elephants. Northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh (617), Meghalaya (677), Nagaland (252), and Tripura (153) also have small remaining elephant populations.
In parts of central and eastern India, states like Madhya Pradesh (97) and Maharashtra (63) have small and scattered herds of elephants.
Regionally, the Western Ghats remain the largest stronghold with 11,934 elephants—down from 14,587 in 2017. The hills of the Northeast and the floodplains of the Brahmaputra support 6,559 elephants (down from 10,139), while the Central Indian Highlands and Eastern Ghats together hold 1,891 elephants (down from 3,128).

Other facts

The report stated that the Western Ghats, once home to a continuous elephant population, are rapidly fragmenting due to coffee and tea plantations, invasive species, agricultural fencing, and rapid infrastructure development.
In Central India, which includes Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, northern West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh, fragmented habitats outside protected areas have been degraded due to mining, jhum cultivation, and linear infrastructures like highways and railways.
This region, though home to less than 10% of India’s elephants, accounts for nearly 45% of all human deaths caused by elephants.
In the Shivalik and Gangetic plains—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar—the number stood at 2,062, almost unchanged from 2,085 in 2017.

DNA-based mark-recapture technique

The new census used a three-stage process that included ground surveys, satellite-based mapping, and genetic analysis.
The DNA-based mark-recapture technique involved systematically collecting elephant dung along laid-out transects, genotyping samples at 11 microsatellite loci, and mapping each sample with a unique genetic identity. When the same elephant was identified from another location, a capture-recapture record was created.
Then, a spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) model was used to estimate detection probability and total population size by integrating field data with spatial habitat information.
The scale of this campaign was unprecedented: 188,030 transects and cross-sections were surveyed on foot, covering a distance of 666,977 km; 319,460 dung plots were examined, 21,056 samples were collected, and DNA profiles of 4,065 individuals were prepared.

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

The largest terrestrial mammal on the Asian continent, they inhabit dry to moist forests and grasslands across 13 countries. They are organized into complex social structures led by matriarchs (a female leads the group).
They have the longest gestation period of any mammal, lasting up to 22 months.