Polar bears live only in the Arctic, in five countries: Canada, the United States (Alaska), Russia, Greenland and Norway. Their real home is sea ice over shallow coastal seas, where they hunt seals. Their range covers about 23 million km² (8.9 million sq mi) of land and sea, say the Polar Bear Range States.
Where do polar bears live in the world?
Every wild polar bear lives around the top of the globe. The five “range states” signed an agreement in 1973 to protect polar bears together, and they still work on it today (Polar Bear Range States). Scientists split the bears into 20 groups called subpopulations, and some groups cross borders, says Polar Bears International.
Canada has the most. The Government of Canada puts its share at about 16,000 bears. That page compares it with an older world total of 20,000 to 25,000, which made it about two-thirds. Against today’s estimate of 26,000, it is roughly 60%.
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | 5: Canada, USA (Alaska), Russia, Greenland, Norway (Svalbard) | Polar Bears International |
| Subpopulations | 20 | IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Size of range | About 23 million km² (8.9 million sq mi) | Polar Bear Range States |
| Main habitat | Sea ice over the shallow continental shelf | Polar Bear Range States |
| World population | About 26,000 (likely range 22,000 to 31,000), an estimate, not a head count | IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group |
| Country with most bears | Canada, about 16,000 | Government of Canada |
| Antarctica | None. Polar bears have never lived there | Polar Bears International |
| Status | Vulnerable (IUCN, 2015); Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act since 2008 | IUCN; US Fish and Wildlife Service |
Why do polar bears live on sea ice?
If you picture a polar bear’s home, picture a giant, moving raft of frozen seawater. Polar bears eat mostly ringed and bearded seals, and the ice is where they catch them. They wait at seal breathing holes or at long cracks of open water in the ice. Our page on what polar bears eat explains the menu.
The best spots lie over the continental shelf, the shallow edge of the ocean near the coast. Those waters are rich in food, so they are rich in seals (Polar Bear Range States).
The ice drifts, grows in winter and shrinks in summer, so polar bears do not defend fixed territories. Most keep to a home range a few hundred kilometres across. One tracked female walked a loop of nearly 4,800 km (3,000 mi) between Alaska, Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island, reports Polar Bears International.
What are the four kinds of polar bear ice?
Not all sea ice behaves the same. Scientists group polar bear country into four ice “ecoregions”. This explains why bears in some places spend months on land while others can stay on the ice all year.
| Ecoregion | What the ice does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal ice | Melts completely in summer, so bears must wait on land | Western and Southern Hudson Bay, Foxe Basin, Davis Strait, Baffin Bay |
| Divergent ice | Forms along the coast, then drifts away from shore in summer | Southern Beaufort Sea (Alaska), Chukchi, Laptev, Kara and Barents Seas |
| Convergent ice | Piles up against the coast, so bears can often stay on it all year | East Greenland, Northern Beaufort Sea |
| Archipelago | Channels between Canada’s northern islands have usually stayed icy in summer | Lancaster Sound, Gulf of Boothia, Kane Basin, M’Clintock Channel |
The Archipelago region and the far-north convergent areas are expected to be the last places with good summer ice as the Arctic warms.
Where do polar bears live on a map?
On a globe, look straight down at the North Pole. Polar bears ring the Arctic Ocean like a crown: northern Alaska, all of Arctic Canada, both coasts of Greenland, Norway’s Svalbard islands and the long north coast of Russia. The deep ocean in the middle, the Arctic Basin, counts as its own zone. Nobody knows how many bears use it (IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group).
Here are all 20 subpopulations with the latest estimates. Some counts are decades old, so treat them as rough guides. Older articles say there are 19 groups. That was true until Southeast Greenland was added in 2024.
| Subpopulation | Country or area | Latest estimate (year) | Recent trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Basin | Central Arctic Ocean | Unknown | Data deficient |
| Baffin Bay | Canada, Greenland | 2,826 (2013) | Data deficient |
| Barents Sea | Norway, Russia | 2,644 (2004) | Likely stable |
| Chukchi Sea | USA, Russia | 2,937 (2016) | Likely stable |
| Davis Strait | Canada, Greenland | 2,015 (2018) | Likely decreased |
| East Greenland | Greenland | Unknown | Data deficient |
| Foxe Basin | Canada | 2,585 (2010) | Likely stable |
| Gulf of Boothia | Canada | 1,525 (2017) | Likely stable |
| Kane Basin | Canada, Greenland | 357 (2014) | Likely increased |
| Kara Sea | Russia | Unknown | Data deficient |
| Lancaster Sound | Canada | 2,541 (1997) | Data deficient |
| Laptev Sea | Russia | Unknown | Data deficient |
| M’Clintock Channel | Canada | 716 (2016) | Likely increased |
| Northern Beaufort Sea | Canada | 980 (2006) | Data deficient |
| Norwegian Bay | Canada | 203 (1997) | Data deficient |
| Southeast Greenland | Greenland | Unknown | Data deficient |
| Southern Beaufort Sea | USA, Canada | About 900 (2010) | Likely decreased |
| Southern Hudson Bay | Canada | 1,119 (2021) | Likely stable |
| Viscount Melville Sound | Canada | 161 (1992) | Data deficient |
| Western Hudson Bay | Canada | 618 (2021) | Very likely decreased |
Do polar bears live in Antarctica?
No. Wild polar bears live only in the Arctic, at the opposite end of the Earth. Penguins live in the south, which is why you will never see a polar bear chase one in the wild. Our page on whether polar bears eat penguins explains the map.
People sometimes ask whether we could move polar bears south as Arctic ice melts. Polar Bears International says no. Antarctic seals and penguins have no defences against a big hunter on the ice, so bears could wipe out colonies. They could also carry diseases, and moving them would break the laws and treaties that protect Antarctica.
Are there polar bears in Alaska?
Yes. Alaska is the only US state with polar bears. It shares two subpopulations: the Southern Beaufort Sea bears with Canada and the Chukchi Sea bears with Russia, says the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Chukchi group was last estimated at 2,937 bears (2016) and looks stable. The Southern Beaufort group, at about 900 (2010), has likely decreased (PBSG).
In the US, polar bears are protected as marine mammals, like seals and whales. The Marine Mammal Protection Act bans hunting or harassing them, except for harvest by Alaska Native peoples (USFWS). Pregnant females in Alaska dig dens between September and December.
Do polar bears live at the North Pole?
Only a few, as far as anyone knows. The North Pole sits in the deep Arctic Basin, far from the shallow shelf seas where seals are most common. The Polar Bear Specialist Group lists the Arctic Basin as “data deficient”, meaning no one has counted the bears there (PBSG). Bears do wander through, but it is not prime hunting ground.
Where are polar bears found? Country by country
- Canada: From the Beaufort Sea in the west to Labrador in the east, including Hudson Bay and the islands of Nunavut. The Southern Hudson Bay bears reach James Bay, farther south than any other polar bears.
- United States: Only Alaska, on the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea coasts.
- Russia: The Barents, Kara, Laptev and Chukchi Seas along Siberia’s Arctic coast. The Kara and Laptev bears have never been properly counted.
- Greenland: The east and southeast coasts, and the waters shared with Canada (Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Kane Basin).
- Norway: The Svalbard islands, part of the Barents Sea group shared with Russia.
Where do polar bears go when the ice melts?
In the seasonal-ice regions, summer strands bears on land for months. Land is a poor pantry for a seal hunter, and bears lose weight while they wait. See what polar bears eat in summer for the numbers.
Where the ice drifts far offshore, some bears swim for it. A US Geological Survey study tracked 52 female bears in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas from 2004 to 2009. It found 50 swims of more than 50 km (31 mi). They averaged 154 km (96 mi), and the longest was 687 km (427 mi). Read more about how fast polar bears swim.
Where do polar bear mothers make their dens?
Only pregnant females spend the winter in a den, says San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Other polar bears stay active on the ice. Most mothers dig into snow drifts on the sheltered side of hills near the coast. Some den on the sea ice, and others dig into earth or peat, reports Polar Bears International.
The mother’s body heat can keep the den 25 °C (45 °F) warmer than the air outside. Cubs weigh about 500 g (1 lb) at birth, and families come out around mid-March (PBI). Our pages on whether polar bears hibernate and the polar bear life cycle follow the cubs from there.
Is polar bear habitat shrinking?
Yes, in many places. The Government of Canada calls climate change the most important long-term threat to polar bears. The trend so far is mixed, though. Of the 20 subpopulations, 3 have likely decreased, 5 are likely stable, 2 have likely increased and 10 lack the data to tell (PBSG). Western Hudson Bay, home of the Churchill bears, fell to about 618 in 2021.
There is one surprising bright spot. In 2022, scientists described bears in Southeast Greenland, around 61° north, that hunt from chunks of glacier ice instead of sea ice. The University of Washington reports that these bears are genetically distinct. Glacier fronts like these might act as small refuges. For the full status story, read are polar bears endangered?
Frequently asked questions
What biome do polar bears live in?
Polar bears live in a marine sea-ice habitat, not mainly on the tundra. The US Fish and Wildlife Service treats them as marine mammals, like seals. They come ashore when the ice melts in summer, and many mothers dig their dens on land near the coast.
Which country has the most polar bears?
Canada, by a long way. The Canadian government estimates about 16,000 polar bears, roughly 60% of the world's estimated 26,000. Canada also shares several subpopulations with Greenland and the United States.
How many polar bears are left in the world?
The best global estimate is about 26,000, with a likely range of 22,000 to 31,000, according to the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group. Several subpopulations have never been properly counted, so the true number is uncertain.
How far do polar bears travel?
Most polar bears keep to home ranges a few hundred kilometres across. Some roam much farther: one tracked female covered nearly 4,800 km (3,000 mi) between Alaska, Greenland and Canada. Polar bears usually walk at about 5 to 6 km/h (3 to 4 mph).
Do polar bears live in zoos outside the Arctic?
Yes. Some zoos in warmer countries keep polar bears in chilled pools and shaded enclosures. These bears were born in zoos or rescued as orphans. No wild polar bear lives outside the Arctic. For how long zoo bears live, see our polar bear lifespan page.
Sources
- IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (2024). Population status of the world's polar bear subpopulations.
- Polar Bear Range States (1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears). Population, distribution and trends.
- Polar Bears International. Polar bear habitat.
- Polar Bears International. The basics of polar bear denning.
- Polar Bears International (2021). Why we can't move polar bears to Antarctica.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus).
- Government of Canada. Conservation of polar bears in Canada.
- University of Washington College of the Environment (2022). Newly documented population of polar bears in Southeast Greenland (on Laidre et al. 2022, Science, doi:10.1126/science.abk2793).
- US Geological Survey (2012). Long-distance swimming by polar bears of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water (Pagano et al., Canadian Journal of Zoology, doi:10.1139/z2012-033).
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Polar bear.
Sources checked 15 September 2026.
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