Country rankings

Elephant Population by Country

Botswana has the highest # of Elephants (131,909), followed by Gabon (95,000) and Zimbabwe (65,028). Sierra Leone has the lowest (1).

EnvironmentFacts & Trivia50 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Sep 23, 2025Original page
25 sources
37 of 235 countries
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

# of Elephants

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

Loading map…

All 37 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
884
Middle half 120 – 8K
Average
13,996
37 countries
Highest
131,909
Botswana
Lowest
1
Sierra Leone

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 countries · # = rank by # of Elephants
#
1Botswana131,909—2022
2Gabon95,000—2021
3Zimbabwe65,028—2022
4Tanzania60,000—2024
5Kenya36,280—2021
6South Africa31,324—2020
7Zambia21,758—2022
8Namibia21,090—2022
9Mozambique10,884—2016
10Uganda7,975—2022
11Cameroon6,830—2016
12Republic of the Congo6,057—2016
13Burkina Faso6,000—2023
14Angola5,983—2022
15Benin2,984—2016
16DR Congo1,794—2016
17Ethiopia1,017—2016
18Ghana994—2016
19Equatorial Guinea884—2016
20Chad794—2016
21Central African Republic702—2016
22Niger492—2019
23Liberia450—2021
24Nigeria400—2024
25South Sudan300—2023
26Mali253—2016
27Ivory Coast225—2020
28Malawi120—2020
29Guinea100—2017
30Rwanda88—2016
31Eritrea50—2016
32Eswatini45—2016
33Guinea-Bissau40—2016
34Sudan3—2019
34Togo3—2024
36Senegal1—2021
36Sierra Leone1—2022
—India—27,3122020
—China—3002024
—Indonesia—1,7002020
—Bangladesh—2002024
—Vietnam—802020
—Thailand—3,7832017
—Myanmar—2,0002017
—Malaysia—1,500—
—Nepal—2502020
—Sri Lanka—7,5002019
—Cambodia—4002021
—Laos—4002019
—Bhutan—6782018

What correlates with # of Elephants?

Pearson r against 1,380 other country metrics sharing at least 23 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of Elephants tend to score higher on these

  1. Dementia Death RateDementia Rates by Country
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  2. Beer Consumption RateBeer Consumption by Country
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 35
    Plot
  3. EPI ScoreEnvironmental Performance Index by Country
    r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 35
    Plot
  4. Dementia Death Rate MaleDementia Rates by Country
    r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  5. Dementia Death Rate FemaleDementia Rates by Country
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  6. GDI Female Est. GNI per CapitaGender Development Index by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 33
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of Elephants tend to score lower on these

  1. Gender Development GroupGender Development Index by Country
    r = −0.71 · very strong · n = 33
    Plot
  2. Temperature ChangeHottest Countries in the World
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 35
    Plot
  3. Mortality To Incidence RatioCervical Cancer Rates by Country
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 37
    Plot
  4. Individuals Making Under $10kWealth Inequality by Country
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 33
    Plot
  5. % of Pop. Living on Less Than $10 USD/DayPoverty Rate by Country
    r = −0.56 · strong · n = 35
    Plot
  6. Consumer Spending (% of GDP)Consumer Spending by Country
    r = −0.54 · strong · n = 30
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest # of Elephants?
Botswana has the highest # of Elephants, at 131,909, followed by Gabon (95,000) and Zimbabwe (65,028).
Which country has the lowest # of Elephants?
Sierra Leone has the lowest # of Elephants, at 1.
What is the median # of Elephants across countries?
The median is 884 across the 37 countries with data.
Where does this elephant population by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Global Elephant Population by Country - Worldostats; The Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier elephant survey - Conservation Namibia; How many Elephants are left in the world? - The Elephant Guide; Elephant Conservation in Cambodia - Fauna & Flora International.

Keep exploring