No. Polar bears are not listed as endangered. The IUCN Red List rates them Vulnerable (2015 assessment), and the United States lists them as Threatened (2008). About 26,000 polar bears are left, with a likely range of 22,000 to 31,000, says the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group. Melting sea ice is their biggest threat.
Are polar bears endangered or vulnerable?
They are vulnerable. That word has an exact meaning. On the IUCN Red List, the world list of species at risk, “Vulnerable” is one step below “Endangered” and two steps below “Critically Endangered”. It means a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild if nothing changes.
The United States uses its own law, the Endangered Species Act. In May 2008 the US listed polar bears as Threatened, not Endangered. The US Fish and Wildlife Service says the reason was the loss of sea ice caused by climate change, and the lack of rules strong enough to stop it. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.
So the old idea that polar bears are “endangered” is wrong, but so is the idea that they are fine. They sit in the middle: not in danger of vanishing tomorrow, but on a path that worries scientists.
| Measure | Status or number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IUCN Red List | Vulnerable (2015 assessment) | IUCN; Regehr and others, 2016 |
| US Endangered Species Act | Threatened (listed May 2008) | US Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Global population | About 26,000 (likely range 22,000–31,000) | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Number of subpopulations | 20 | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Likely or very likely decreasing | 3 | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Likely stable | 5 | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Likely increasing | 2 | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Not enough data to tell | 10 | Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2024 |
| Area of their range | About 23 million km² (8.9 million sq mi) | Polar Bear Range States |
How many polar bears are left in the world?
The best estimate is 26,000. Scientists are 95% sure the true number lies between 22,000 and 31,000, according to the 2024 status report of the Polar Bear Specialist Group. That group is part of the IUCN, and it checks the numbers every year.
The range is wide because counting polar bears is hard. They are spread over about 23 million km² of ice and coast, reports the Polar Bear Range States, the five countries where polar bears live. Scientists count from aircraft, catch and mark bears, or use genetic samples. Some areas, such as the Russian Arctic, are so remote that no count exists at all.
Which polar bear populations are declining?
Polar bears live in 20 separate groups called subpopulations. They are not all doing the same thing. The 2024 status table lists 3 as decreasing, 5 as stable, 2 as increasing and 10 with too little data to judge. So “polar bears are declining everywhere” is not true either.
| Subpopulation | Where | Latest estimate | Recent trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Hudson Bay | Canada | 618 (2021) | Very likely decreased |
| Southern Beaufort Sea | Alaska and Canada | About 900 (2010) | Likely decreased |
| Davis Strait | Canada and Greenland | 2,015 | Likely decreased |
| Barents Sea | Norway and Russia | 2,644 | Likely stable |
| Chukchi Sea | Alaska and Russia | 2,937 | Likely stable |
| Kane Basin | Canada and Greenland | 357 | Likely increased |
| Baffin Bay | Canada and Greenland | 2,826 | Data deficient |
Western Hudson Bay is the best-known decline. Its bears fell from 842 to 618 between 2016 and 2021, a drop of 27%, reports Polar Bears International. That is about half the roughly 1,200 bears counted there in the 1980s. In the Southern Beaufort Sea, off Alaska, numbers fell by about 40% between 2001 and 2010, from about 1,500 to 900.
Both places have longer ice-free summers than before. Kane Basin and M’Clintock Channel went the other way and likely grew. Our page on where polar bears live maps these regions.
Why are polar bears at risk?
Sea ice is a polar bear’s hunting floor. Bears catch seals from the ice, often at breathing holes, as our page on what polar bears eat explains. When the ice melts early and freezes late, bears are stuck on land with little food. Polar Bears International calls sea ice loss from climate change the single biggest threat.
Some people hoped bears could slow their bodies down in summer to save energy, a kind of “walking hibernation”. A 2015 study in the journal Science tested this with collars and body-temperature loggers in the Beaufort Sea. The bears cooled only a little, not as much as in hibernation, and they cannot stretch their fat much further, reports EurekAlert. Our page do polar bears hibernate? has more.
Other problems are smaller but real. Polar Bears International lists pollution, disease, oil and gas and other commercial activity, conflict with people in Arctic towns, weak protection of key habitat, and hunting where it is not managed well. None of these comes close to the loss of sea ice.
Is hunting a threat to polar bears?
Not the main one today. In the 1960s, unlimited hunting cut some populations. In 1973 the five countries with polar bears signed an agreement to protect them, described by the Polar Bear Range States. Hunting is now controlled almost everywhere.
Most hunting today is by Indigenous communities for food and culture, under quotas. Polar Bears International notes legal hunts in parts of Canada and in the US Chukchi Sea. Scientists still watch the numbers, because a quota that is safe for a healthy population can be too high for a shrinking one.
Will polar bears go extinct?
Not soon, but a big drop is likely. In a 2016 study, Regehr and colleagues modelled how bears might respond to melting ice. They gave a 71% chance that the world population falls by more than 30% over about three polar bear generations, or 35 to 41 years. They gave only a 7% chance of a fall of more than 50%. That result supported the Vulnerable listing.
The longer view depends on how much the planet warms. Without action on climate change, “we could lose all but a few” polar bear populations by 2100, warns Polar Bears International. With lower emissions, many more populations would keep enough ice. For more on how long bears live, see how long polar bears live.
How can we help polar bears?
The biggest help is slowing climate change, because that saves the sea ice. That means cutting the carbon dioxide released by burning coal, oil and gas. Most of that change comes from governments and companies, but families can use less energy, travel smarter and talk about the science.
Supporting science helps too. Groups such as Polar Bears International fund research and work with Arctic towns to keep bears and people safe. If you ever visit polar bear country, follow local rules and never feed a bear. Curious how tough these bears are? Read how strong a polar bear is and how polar bears are adapted to the cold.
Frequently asked questions
Why are polar bears endangered?
They are not officially endangered. Polar bears are Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, one step below Endangered in each system. The worry is the future: sea ice is shrinking because of climate change, and bears need that ice to hunt seals.
Are polar bears going extinct?
Not in the near future. A 2016 study gave a 71% chance that the world population falls by more than 30% in about 35 to 41 years, but only a 7% chance of a fall of more than half. Polar Bears International warns most populations could vanish by 2100 without climate action.
When were polar bears listed as threatened?
The US listed polar bears as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. The US Fish and Wildlife Service gave sea ice loss from climate change as the reason. On the global IUCN Red List they are Vulnerable, most recently assessed in 2015.
Where are polar bears declining fastest?
Western Hudson Bay in Canada is the clearest example. Its bears fell from 842 to 618 between 2016 and 2021, a 27% drop. The Southern Beaufort Sea off Alaska fell by about 40% from 2001 to 2010. Both areas now have longer ice-free summers.
Are polar bear numbers going up anywhere?
Yes. In the 2024 status table, two subpopulations, Kane Basin and M'Clintock Channel in the Canadian Arctic, are listed as likely increasing. Five are likely stable. Ten have too little data to know, including the huge Russian Arctic areas.
Sources
- IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (2024). IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group 2024 Status Report (global estimate 26,000, 95% CI 22,000–31,000).
- IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (2024). Population status of the 20 polar bear subpopulations.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service. Polar bear program (ESA Threatened listing, 2008).
- Polar Bears International. Status and populations.
- Biology Letters via PubMed Central (2016). Conservation status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to projected sea-ice declines (Regehr et al., Biology Letters, doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0556).
- EurekAlert! (AAAS) (2015). Polar bear metabolism less resilient to summer ice melt than expected (on Whiteman et al. 2015, Science).
- Polar Bear Range States. Population, distribution and trends.
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Polar bear.
Sources checked 15 September 2026.
