Updated
There are just over 1,000 mountain gorillas in the wild, all of them in two small areas: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, with the neighbouring Sarambwe reserve in DR Congo, and the Virunga volcanoes shared by Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. The most recent full counts put the total at about 1,063, the only great ape whose numbers have been rising. Here is how they are counted, how the population has changed, and why it is still fragile.
The latest numbers
The Virunga Massif was surveyed in 2015-16 and found 604 mountain gorillas. The Bwindi-Sarambwe census in 2018 counted 459. Together that gives about 1,063 animals, the figure used by conservation agencies since 2018. Bwindi holds most of Uganda’s gorillas, while Mgahinga, Uganda’s corner of the Virungas, has only a few groups, so Uganda is home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. New census results are released only every several years, so be wary of precise numbers presented as “this year’s” population.
How the gorillas are counted
Counting animals in thick montane forest is slow work. Survey teams walk systematic routes through the whole area, find gorilla night nests, and collect dung samples from each nest site. Genetic analysis of the dung then identifies individual gorillas, so animals are not double-counted when teams cross the same group’s trail. Habituated families, which rangers see every day, are counted directly. Researchers combine both to produce the estimate; read more about monitoring methods.
From near-extinction to recovery
In the early 1980s the Virunga population had fallen to around 250, after decades of habitat loss, hunting and poaching for infants and body parts. Intensive protection, daily monitoring of habituated groups, veterinary care from Gorilla Doctors, and tourism revenue that gives neighbouring communities a stake in living gorillas turned that around. In 2018 the IUCN moved the mountain gorilla from Critically Endangered to Endangered. Our articles on how tourism helped save mountain gorillas and the history of gorilla conservation tell the full story.
Why the population is still fragile
A population of around a thousand animals in two isolated forests can be hit hard by a single disease outbreak, which is why visitors must not trek when sick and keep their distance. Snares set for other animals still injure gorillas, and the silverback Rafiki was killed by a poacher in Bwindi in 2020; see anti-poaching work. Both forests are surrounded by dense farmland, so there is no room to grow, and climate change may shift the plants gorillas depend on. Read about the future of mountain gorilla conservation.
How visitors help
Gorilla permits fund rangers, monitoring and veterinary work, and a share goes to communities around the parks. Following the trekking rules, especially staying away when unwell, directly protects the population. If you trek, you will meet one of the habituated families that make up a significant part of the total. Mountain gorillas are one of several threatened species in Uganda; see Uganda’s other endangered species.
Frequently asked questions
About 1,063, based on the 2015-16 Virunga survey (604) and the 2018 Bwindi-Sarambwe census (459).
Roughly half of the world’s population, most of them in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and a few groups in Mgahinga.
Yes. It has grown from around 250 in the Virungas in the early 1980s, and in 2018 the species was moved from Critically Endangered to Endangered.
Survey teams record night nests across each forest and use DNA from dung samples to identify individuals, alongside direct counts of habituated families.
