Facts & Figures

Asian Elephant Facts and Statistics

Asian elephants are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Perhaps only 30,000 still live in forests of south and southeast Asia.

More than 100,000 Asian elephants may have existed at the start of the 20th century, but numbers have fallen by at least 50% over the last three generations, and they are still in decline today.

Elephants used to roam across most of Asia, but now they’re restricted to just 15% of their original range. The Indian elephant has the largest range, while the Sri Lankan is restricted to a few parts of the island. Sumatran elephants were once widespread on Sumatra, but they have lost 70% of their habitat and only survive in fragmented populations.

cr. WWF Global

Resource Links

1. WWF – Asian Elephant
   • Focus: General facts, Endangered status, habitat range (13 countries), main threat: habitat loss and fragmentation.
   • URL: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant/asian-elephant/
2. IFAW – Asian Elephant Facts
   • Focus: Endangered status, population estimate (40,000–50,000 left), details on social structure and differences from African elephants.
   • URL: https://www.ifaw.org/animals/asian-elephants
3. IUCN Red List (Sumatran)
   • Focus: In-depth, specific data on subspecies decline (Sumatran elephant), emphasizing extreme habitat loss.
   • URL: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/9129626
4. WWF – Indian Elephant
   • Focus: Facts on the largest subspecies population, Indian elephant: 20,000–25,000 remaining; details on feeding and human-elephant conflict.
   • URL: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant/asian-elephant/indian-elephant/
   • Smithsonian National Zoo
   • Focus: Physical characteristics (size, weight, height), historical vs. current range, and migration patterns.
   • URL: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/asian-elephant