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More than 44,000 species are threatened with extinction

That is still 28% of all assessed species.

Amphibians

41%

Mammals

26%

Conifers

34%

Birds

12%

Sharks & Rays

37%

Reef corals

36%

Selected Crustaceans

28%

reptiles

21%

Cycads

70%

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Help us make The IUCN Red List a more complete barometer of life.

News from IUCN

2023-12-12

The 2023 Red List update reveals hope for birds in crisis

As the world teeters on the precipice of environmental devastation, BirdLife’s contribution to the 2023 IUCN Red List provides a stark reminder that we are losing birds at an unprecedented rate...

Read the full article on BirdLife
2023-12-11

40,000 tree species now published on the IUCN Red List

Today the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has been updated! With the publication of around 4,000 new tree assessments the total number of tree species on the IUCN Red List is over 40,000.

Read the full article on BGCI
2023-12-11

Freshwater fish highlight escalating climate impacts on species - IUCN Red List

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 11 December 2023 (IUCN) – Climate change threatens a growing number of species, from Atlantic salmon to green turtles, today’s update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals.

Read the full article on IUCN
Main Image
Scimitar-horned Oryx (Endangered, D ver 3.1)

What is The IUCN Red List?

Established in 1964, The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyze action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural resources we need to survive. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.

Learn more about The IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria

The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. It divides species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.

  • Data Deficient (DD)

    A taxon is Data Deficient (DD) when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are lacking.

    Species categorized as Data Deficient (DD)

  • Least Concern (LC)

    A taxon is Least Concern (LC) when it has been evaluated against the Red List criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened.

    Species categorized as Least Concern (LC)
  • Near Threatened (NT)

    A taxon is Near Threatened (NT) when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

    Species categorized as Near Threatened (NT)

  • Vulnerable (VU)

    A taxon is Vulnerable (VU) when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Vulnerable, and it is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

    Species categorized as Vulnerable (VU)

  • Endangered (EN)

    A taxon is Endangered (EN) when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

    Species categorized as Endangered (EN)

  • Critically Endangered (CR)

    A taxon is Critically Endangered (CR) when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Critically Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

    Species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR)

  • Extinct In The Wild (EW)

    A taxon is Extinct In The Wild (EW) when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range. A taxon is presumed Extinct in the Wild when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a time frame appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life form.

    Species categorized as Extinct In The Wild (EW)

  • Extinct (EX)

    A taxon is Extinct (EX) when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a time frame appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life form.

    Species categorized as Extinct (EX)

  • Not Evaluated (NE)

    A taxon is Not Evaluated (NE) when it has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

    Not Evaluated (NE) species are not published on the IUCN Red List

Our goals

To date, more than 157,100 species have been assessed for The IUCN Red List.

This is an incredible achievement. However, our work is nowhere near complete. We need to substantially increase the number of wild species assessed, particularly plants, invertebrates and fungi.

Our current goal is to have 160,000 species assessed. Meeting this goal will provide the most up-to-date indication of the health of the world’s biodiversity to guide critical conservation action. This is only achievable with support from people like you.

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