The global wild tiger population is rebounding after decades of decline, driven by stronger conservation efforts and international cooperation. But conservationists say Bangladesh's Sundarbans, home to the country's only wild tiger population, faces unique ecological constraints that make rapid population growth far more difficult than in countries such as India and Nepal.
More than a century ago, an estimated 100,000 wild tigers roamed forests across Asia. By 2010, habitat destruction, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade had reduced that number to around 3,200, prompting the world's 13 tiger range countries to launch the ambitious TX2 initiative at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit to double global tiger numbers.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) and national wildlife authorities, the global wild tiger population has now recovered to an estimated 5,500–5,800 animals.
India remains the global leader in tiger conservation, hosting nearly three-quarters of the world's wild tigers. Its tiger population has risen from 1,411 in 2006 to more than 3,680, supported by protected reserves, connected wildlife corridors, intensive anti-poaching operations and sustained government investment.
Nepal has also emerged as one of the world's leading tiger conservation success stories. Its latest National Tiger Census, released on Global Tiger Day, recorded 429 wild tigers—up from 121 in 2009—following years of habitat restoration, scientific monitoring and community-based conservation across the Terai Arc Landscape.
Bangladesh's steady but slower progress
Bangladesh's only wild tiger population survives in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest shared with India.
Government camera-trap surveys have shown the country's tiger population increasing from 106 in 2015 to 114 in 2018 and an estimated 125 in 2024.
While the upward trend reflects progress in conservation efforts, experts caution against directly comparing Bangladesh's numbers with those of India or Nepal.
Dr Md Anwarul Islam, a wildlife conservationist and former professor of Zoology at the University of Dhaka, said the increase is encouraging but limited by the ecological characteristics of the Sundarbans.
"Our tiger population has increased from 106 in 2015 to 125 in 2024. This is undoubtedly positive, but the increase is modest compared with India, Nepal or Bhutan," he told Dhaka Tribune.
"The Sundarbans is a unique mangrove ecosystem. Unlike large inland forests, its ecological carrying capacity does not allow rapid expansion of tiger populations."
Unlike inland forests with abundant prey and expansive habitats, the Sundarbans can support only a limited number of tigers because of its mangrove ecosystem, experts say.
Islam said several human-induced pressures continue to weaken the forest's ecological balance.
"Illegal hunting of spotted deer, poisoning rivers and canals to catch fish, unsustainable extraction of forest resources and various human disturbances are reducing prey availability and affecting the habitat. Under these conditions, tiger reproduction cannot increase significantly."
He added that neighboring countries benefit from larger and better-connected forest landscapes that naturally support higher tiger populations.
"India, Nepal and Bhutan have larger landscapes and more favorable ecological conditions for tiger conservation. Those environmental advantages play a critical role in supporting larger tiger populations."
Climate change adds pressure
Islam said climate change poses an additional long-term threat to tiger conservation in the Sundarbans.
He noted that comparisons with India's overall tiger population can be misleading because the adjoining Indian Sundarbans have experienced similar ecological constraints.
"Many people compare Bangladesh's tiger population with India's national figures. However, if we specifically look at the Indian Sundarbans adjoining Bangladesh, tiger numbers have not increased dramatically there either."
"The two parts of the Sundarbans share similar challenges, including climate change, salinity intrusion, changing prey dynamics and other ecological pressures."
Scientists warn that rising sea levels, stronger cyclones, coastal erosion and increasing salinity are expected to reshape the Sundarbans ecosystem over the coming decades, making long-term tiger conservation increasingly challenging.
A mixed global picture
While India and Nepal have recorded significant gains, other tiger range countries present a mixed picture.
Russia has increased its Amur tiger population from around 40–50 animals in the 1940s to about 750 today. Bhutan's tiger population has grown from 103 in 2015 to more than 131, while Indonesia's Sumatra supports around 600 Sumatran tigers. Thailand is estimated to have between 180 and 220 wild tigers.
Elsewhere, however, tiger numbers continue to decline. Malaysia's population has fallen from nearly 3,000 several decades ago to fewer than 150 today. Myanmar is estimated to have only 20–30 wild tigers, while Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have effectively lost their breeding tiger populations.
Conservationists say protecting tigers is about far more than increasing population numbers. As an apex predator, the tiger serves as an indicator of forest health, and safeguarding its habitat also protects biodiversity, freshwater resources and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on forests.
For Bangladesh, experts say the long-term future of the Royal Bengal Tiger will depend not only on maintaining anti-poaching efforts but also on restoring prey populations, reducing human pressure, strengthening climate resilience and preserving the ecological integrity of the Sundarbans.
"The tiger is an umbrella species," Islam said. "If we can protect the tiger, we protect the entire Sundarbans ecosystem. The future of the tiger is inseparable from the future of the forest itself."