Tiger census: Nepal's tiger number increases to 429

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation unveiled the results in the presence of Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Geeta Chaudhary. The count marks a steady rise from 121 tigers in 2009 to 198 in 2013, 235 in 2018, 355 in 2022 and now 429, a more than threefold increase in a decade and a half.

Tigers in Nepal live across the Terai Arc Landscape, spanning Chitwan, Bardiya, Parsa, Banke and Shuklaphanta National Parks and their surrounding buffer zones, forests and wildlife corridors. The latest census recorded 145 tigers in Chitwan, 112 in Bardiya, 71 in Parsa, 51 in Banke and 50 in Shuklaphanta.

Numbers rose in every park except Bardiya, which fell to 112 from 125 in 2022, the only decline recorded nationwide. Officials said the biggest jump came in Parsa, up from 41 to 71, while Banke rose from 25 to 51 and Shuklaphanta from 36 to 50.

Nepal carries out the census every four years, tracking tiger numbers, prey species and habitat conditions to guide future conservation planning. The survey is led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, working with the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, provincial governments, the Nepal Army and the conservation partners.

In Nepal, IUCN is supporting through Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) that contributes to global commitments including the Global Tiger Recovery Programme, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. ITHCP is IUCN’s flagship tiger initiative, funded by the German Cooperation (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank. Launched in 2014, ITHCP is a multi-country grant-making programme that funds practical, science-based projects across priority tiger landscapes in Asia. 

Read the ITHCP's 10 Years of Tiger Conservation Action report