Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, but now inhabit less than 6% of their historic range.
The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. Over the past 100 years, tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands, Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers inhabit less than 6% of their historic range, with a 42% decline since 2006.
Breeding populations of tigers are currently found in eight range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, and Thailand. There is evidence of breeding in China and Myanmar between 2009 and 2014, though these populations are likely dependent on immigration from neighboring countries. Tigers may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence.
• Image | © Mathias Appel, Public Domain, (CC0 1.0)
• Sources | (Goodrich et al., 2015; Nowell & Jackson, 1996; Sanderson et al., 2006; Walston et al., 2010)
