Tiger census: The numbers, the method and the reserves in focus
Numbers, method and reserves are the three things UPSC asks about the tiger census, each covered here with the 2026 update.
The baseline numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Latest published census | 3,682 tigers (2022 cycle) |
| Global share | About 75% of the world's wild tigers |
| Trend | Growing roughly 6% per cycle since 2006 |
| Project Tiger | Launched 1973, nine reserves initially |
Source: NTCA: All India Tiger Estimation
The method
The estimation stacks four tools.
M-STrIPES. The mobile app-based field protocol for patrols and observations.
Camera traps. Capture-mark-recapture analysis estimates density by identifying individual tigers from stripe patterns.
Scat DNA and line transects. Corroborate occupancy across the landscape.
The Status of Tigers report. Carries the cycle's findings. The 2023 report carried the 2022 numbers, and the next cycle is the 2026 estimation.
The reserve landscape
Corbett (Uttarakhand). Holds the highest tiger density.
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). The largest reserve by area.
The Sundarbans. The mangrove-adapted population, the only tigers living in a tidal mangrove ecosystem.
Central India. Melghat, Pench and Kanha anchor the core landscape, where the strongest recovery has occurred.
The institutional frame
Project Tiger (1973) began with nine reserves and now spans more than 55, administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2006. The exam's institutional pairing is fixed, which body, under which Act, with which powers.
Prelims traps
| Statement | True or False |
|---|---|
| "The 2022 cycle counted 3,682 tigers" | True |
| "India holds about 75% of the world's wild tigers" | True |
| "Corbett has the largest tiger reserve area" | False. Highest density; Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam is largest |
| "The NTCA is a statutory body" | True |
Part of: Species in News and Protected Areas, January to June 2026
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Source: National Tiger Conservation Authority; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.