Polar bear
© WWF-US / Elisabeth Kruger

Polar bear population

How many polar bears are there?

Current polar bear populations

22-31,000
polar bears worldwide, estimated
Source: IUCN (How is this range calculated?)

19
distinct sub-populations

60-80%
of polar bears are in Canada

Status by country
  • International: Vulnerable
  • Canada: Special Concern
  • Greenland / Denmark: Vulnerable
  • Norway: Vulnerable
  • Russia: Indeterminate, Rare, or Recovering, depending on population
  • United States: Threatened
polar bear population

Timeline of polar bear conservation

Polar Bears and the Numbers Game

There used to be an estimated 20,000 – 25,000 polar bears, but that estimate has been updated to 22,000 – 31,000. Does this mean there are more polar bears now? Probably not - we just have more precise information to estimate the number of bears globally.

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What WWF is doing for polar bears

WWF is working around the Arctic to secure a future for polar bears.

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