What "threatened" actually means
A species is "threatened" when the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable (VU). The three categories sit on a sliding scale of extinction probability over a defined window — a CR listing means at least a 50% chance of extinction in ten years or three generations; EN means at least 20% in twenty years or five generations; VU means at least 10% in a hundred years.
SpeciesRadar currently catalogues 55,738 species across the three categories: 12,717 Critically Endangered, 21,904 Endangered, and 21,117 Vulnerable. Add the 0 Extinct in the Wild species — survival now restricted to captivity — and the at-risk total climbs further.
The countries carrying the burden
Threat is not evenly distributed. A handful of countries — concentrated in the tropics, on islands, or in long-isolated landmasses — host a disproportionate share of the world's threatened species. The table below lists the ten with the highest counts in our database.
Why the global count keeps rising
Two forces push the count up. First, the IUCN keeps assessing more species — each new release adds groups previously absent (fungi, molluscs, deep-sea fish) and many enter at threatened categories straight away because they were always rare. Second, real-world declines move species across boundaries: a Vulnerable species becomes Endangered as habitat shrinks; an Endangered species becomes Critically Endangered after a crash. Cross-referencing each global assessment with the corresponding national red list is where SpeciesRadar adds the most value — a Vulnerable global rating can mask a Critically Endangered national reality.
How to use this catalogue
Every species in our database has its own dashboard: IUCN category, population trend, threat record, distribution, and protected-area coverage. Start with a search on /species or explore by country at /countries. For the methodology behind each computed figure, see /methodology.
Data sourced from SpeciesRadar (speciesradar.org), drawing on IUCN Red List 2025-2, GBIF, and national red list assessments from 200+ countries. See our Methodology for how each figure is computed.