India’s Asiatic lion population has risen to 891 in 2025 from 523 in 2015, marking an increase of more than 70 per cent in a decade, the government said on Monday. The latest population estimate represents a 32 per cent rise from 674 lions in 2020.
The figures were highlighted by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on World Lion Day. The 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation, conducted in May 2025, found 891 lions across the Greater Gir landscape in Gujarat.
The latest figure represents a 32 per cent increase over 2020. The minister’s statement credited forest officials, conservationists and local communities for the recovery.
The achievement follows decades of conservation efforts after the Asiatic lion was pushed close to extinction. Only around 40-60 lions remained in and around Gir in the early 1900s because of overhunting and habitat loss. India established the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in 1965 and subsequently expanded protected areas as the population recovered.
Writing on World Lion Day for the Hindustan Times, Yadav attributed the increase to strict legal protection, revival of the lions’ prey base and a landscape-level conservation approach. Wild prey such as spotted deer, sambar, nilgai and wild pig now account for about 74 per cent of the lions’ diet, compared with 26 per cent in 1974, he said.
The lions’ range has also expanded from about 30,000 sq km in 2020 to nearly 35,000 sq km across 11 districts. In 1990, their range was around 6,600 sq km.
The return of lions to Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has been a notable part of the expansion. After disappearing from the area in the 19th century, lions naturally returned in 2023. By 2025, Barda had 17 lions, Yadav said.
Community participation has also been central to the conservation effort. More than 55,000 open wells have been secured to prevent lion deaths, while compensation for livestock losses and initiatives such as the Gir Samvad Setu have helped reduce conflict between communities and wildlife.
Project Lion, launched in 2020, now covers about 60,000 sq km of Saurashtra and focuses on habitat improvement, disease monitoring, scientific tracking and community participation.
