Tiger Mortality Rate in India Below 5%

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in its latest report has stated that 167 tigers died in India in 2025, including 31 cubs. This number is significant because it means that the mortality rate in the total tiger population over the past four years has been below 5%. According to the NTCA’s report "Status of Tigers in India: Co-predators and Prey-2022," India is home to 3,682 tigers. The highest number of tiger deaths occurred in 2023, with 182 deaths, followed by 126 in 2024 and 122 in 2022. Based on the 2022 estimates, the annual growth rate of tigers was 6.1%, which compensates for natural losses and mortality. From just 1,411 tigers in 2006, the tiger population has grown to 3,682 by 2022, making India home to nearly 75% of the world’s wild tigers. This increase is attributed to the efforts of "Project Tiger," launched by the Indian government in 1973, and the continuous implementation of this project by the NTCA since 2006.

According to NTCA data, the first tiger death of 2025 was recorded on January 2 in the Brahmapuri Forest Division of Maharashtra, which involved an adult male tiger. Three days later, an adult female tiger was found dead in the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The last tiger death of the year occurred on December 31, when a sub-adult female tiger died in the Nagpur Circle of the Wardha T Division Range in Maharashtra.