Monitored wildlife populations are down 73% since 1970. This year’s report leans on the recoveries
The headline figure matches the last edition, now extended to 2022. The emphasis has shifted: WWF wants readers to see that targeted conservation is working, and that energy, food and finance decide the rest.
Key takeaways
- WWF’s Living Planet Report 2026, released October 8, reports an average 73% decline in monitored wildlife population sizes between 1970 and 2022.
- The index tracks 35,803 populations of 5,790 vertebrate species. It measures average change in population size, not the number of animals lost.
- Declines are steepest in Latin America and the Caribbean (-95%) and in freshwater ecosystems (-85%).
- About half of monitored populations are stable or increasing, and the report highlights recoveries of tigers, rhinos, lions and bluefin tuna.
Monitored populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have declined by an average of 73% since 1970, according to the Living Planet Report 2026 published by WWF on October 8. The report’s Living Planet Index draws on 35,803 population trends covering 5,790 vertebrate species, with data now running through 2022.
What the 73% means, and does not
The figure is easy to misread. It is an index of the average proportional change in the size of monitored populations, not a count of animals that have died and not the share of species that have disappeared. A population that halves and another that holds steady both contribute to the average. The 2024 edition reported the same 73% figure for 1970 to 2020; this edition extends the series by two years.
Average decline in monitored populations, 1970–2022
By habitat, Living Planet Index
Where the losses are steepest
By region, the report records the sharpest declines in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 95%, followed by Africa at 80% and Asia and the Pacific at 49%. By habitat, freshwater populations fell furthest, by 85%, followed by land-based populations at 69% and marine populations at 59%. Habitat loss and degradation remain the most commonly cited threats, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species and disease.
The recoveries
This year’s edition puts unusual weight on what has worked. About half of the monitored populations are stable or increasing, and the report highlights recoveries of tigers, rhinoceroses, lions and bluefin tuna where targeted protection was put in place. Coverage in India noted gains in tigers, rhinos and Asiatic lions.
WWF International Director General Kirsten Schuijt told reporters that recovery is in reach, and explained that the hopeful framing is deliberate: repeating the same grim figure year after year risks convincing people that nothing they do matters. She described nature as humanity’s life support system.
Energy, food and finance
The report argues that conservation alone cannot match the scale of the threats and that the systems driving nature loss must change. It identifies energy, food and finance as the three systems that matter most, and argues each can be pushed past positive tipping points. Schuijt pointed to energy as a sector that has already passed one through the uptake of renewables, and to food and finance as areas where change is possible.
For businesses, that framing turns biodiversity from a philanthropy topic into a supply-chain and financing question. Food producers, retailers and lenders are increasingly asked to show where products come from and what financing supports, and the report adds weight to the expectation that those disclosures will become more common.
Sources
- WWF International, “Amid an average 73% decline in wildlife population sizes, scientists reveal grounds for hope,” October 8, 2026
- World Wildlife Fund, 2026 Living Planet Report
- The Japan Times, “Populations of wild species fell by an average of 73% from 1970 to 2022, WWF says,” October 8, 2026
- WKBW, “Wildlife populations have shrunk 73% since 1970. A new report argues there is still a case for hope”
Frequently asked
What does the 73% decline in the Living Planet Report mean?
It is the average proportional decline in the size of monitored vertebrate populations from 1970 to 2022. It is not the number of animals lost or the share of species that have disappeared.
Which wildlife declined the most?
Freshwater populations declined most, by 85% on average, and Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the steepest regional decline, 95%.
Are any wildlife populations recovering?
Yes. About half of monitored populations are stable or increasing, and the report highlights recoveries of tigers, rhinoceroses, lions and bluefin tuna.
What does WWF recommend?
Transforming the energy, food and finance systems that drive nature loss, alongside continued conservation.