Lions now occupy just 6% of their historic range as wild populations shrink
Lions once lived across large parts of Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Today, they are mainly found in scattered areas of sub-Saharan Africa, with the only wild population outside Africa surviving in India.
Key Points
- Lions now occupy only 6% of their historic range
- Most wild lions survive in sub-Saharan Africa
- India holds the only wild lion population outside Africa
Lions once lived across large parts of Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Today, they are mainly found in scattered areas of sub-Saharan Africa, with the only wild population outside Africa surviving in India.
The latest IUCN Cat Specialist Group assessment estimates that lions occupied about 566,675 square kilometres in 2025, equal to just 6.13% of their historic range. Their range is estimated to have fallen by 34% between 2004 and 2025.
Lions disappeared from Europe around the first century CE. They later vanished from North Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia between the 1800s and mid-1900s as hunting, habitat loss and other pressures reduced their numbers.
Africa remains the main home of wild lions, particularly eastern and southern Africa. The IUCN Cat Specialist Group estimates that Africa had around 22,000 to 25,000 adult and subadult lions in 2025.
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Their populations are increasingly separated from one another as their habitat becomes fragmented. Lions are especially vulnerable in West Africa, where populations have suffered severe declines. Earlier regional assessments estimated fewer than 250 adult lions there, leading to the West African population being classified as Critically Endangered.
Across their range, lions face pressure from habitat loss, declining prey, conflict with livestock owners and other human activities. The species remains classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
Outside Africa, wild lions now survive only in Gujarat, India.
India's 2025 lion count recorded 891 Asiatic lions, up from 674 in 2020, an increase of about 32%. Their distribution has also expanded as lions move into areas beyond the Gir protected landscape.
The recovery is significant because lions once lived across a much larger part of Asia, from the Middle East through Iran and Pakistan into India. By the early 20th century, they had been reduced to the Gir region of Gujarat.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
