Asiatic lions in India have increased 32% since 2020

Why in News?

India’s Asiatic lion population has increased to 891 in 2025, compared with 523 in 2015, registering an increase of more than 70% in a decade. The latest figures were highlighted by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on World Lion Day, 10 August. The 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation, conducted in May 2025, recorded 891 lions across the Greater Gir landscape of Gujarat.

Key Points

The Asiatic lion population increased from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025, representing a 32% rise in five years. This recovery is the result of decades of conservation efforts after the species was pushed close to extinction due to overhunting and habitat loss. Only around 40–60 lions survived in and around Gir during the early 1900s.

India established the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in 1965 and subsequently expanded protected areas as the lion population recovered. The recent increase has been attributed to strict legal protection, revival of the prey base and a landscape-level conservation approach.

The availability of wild prey has improved significantly, with spotted deer, sambar, nilgai and wild pig now accounting for around 74% of the lions’ diet, compared with only 26% in 1974.

The geographical range of Asiatic lions has also expanded considerably. Their range increased from around 6,600 sq km in 1990 to nearly 30,000 sq km in 2020, and further to approximately 35,000 sq km across 11 districts in 2025.

The Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has emerged as an important part of this range expansion. Lions had disappeared from Barda in the 19th century but naturally returned in 2023, and their population reached 17 by 2025.

Community participation has been an important component of lion conservation. More than 55,000 open wells have been secured to prevent lion deaths, while compensation for livestock losses and initiatives such as Gir Samvad Setu have helped reduce human–wildlife conflict.

The Project Lion, launched in 2020, covers around 60,000 sq km of Saurashtra and focuses on habitat improvement, disease monitoring, scientific tracking and community participation.

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