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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report finds that the average size of monitored wildlife populations fell 73% between 1970 and 2020. That is a decline in an index of population abundance—not evidence that 73% of all wild animals died, or that 73% of populations went extinct.
What does the 73% wildlife decline measure?
The Living Planet Index (LPI), compiled by the Zoological Society of London and reported by WWF, tracks changes in the size of monitored animal populations. The 2024 index draws on nearly 35,000 population trends from 5,495 vertebrate species over 1970–2020. WWF describes the 73% result as the average decline in the index of those monitored populations.
In practical terms, the measure summarizes how the tracked populations changed relative to their starting levels. It does not count every wild animal on Earth, measure the total number of animals that remain, or say how many species became extinct. The LPI is a warning indicator of wildlife population abundance, not a complete census of biodiversity.
Which habitats show the steepest declines?
WWF’s 2024 report gives these average LPI declines for monitored populations from 1970 to 2020:
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| Habitat | Average index decline |
|---|---|
| Freshwater | 85% |
| Terrestrial | 69% |
| Marine | 56% |
Each percentage describes monitored population abundance in that habitat, not the share of animals or species lost. Freshwater populations had the largest index decline among the three groups.
How do regional trends compare?
WWF’s 2024 regional LPI estimates for monitored populations over 1970–2020 are:
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| Region | Average index decline |
|---|---|
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 95% |
| Africa | 76% |
| Asia–Pacific | 60% |
| North America | 39% |
| Europe and Central Asia | 35% |
These are changes in regional indices, not direct rankings of total wildlife remaining. WWF notes that the 1970 baseline matters: major human impacts on wildlife were already visible before then in Europe and North America. A lower decline since 1970 in those regions does not mean their earlier losses were small.
Nor should readers compare the headline result across successive LPI editions as though each were an update to an identical sample. WWF says editions include different sets of species, so their results are not directly comparable.
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WWF identifies habitat loss and degradation, and overharvesting, as dominant threats to wildlife populations. It says these are driven primarily by the global food system; invasive species, disease, and climate change are also listed as threats. The report-release summaries do not break the global 73% figure into causal shares, and the pressures do not explain every species’ or region’s trend in the same way.
WWF-UK’s 2024 release says food production uses 40% of Earth’s habitable land and is the leading cause of habitat loss. It also reports that £150 billion flows to nature-based solutions while around £5 trillion flows to activities damaging to nature. WWF-UK presents these figures as part of its report-release case for changing food, finance, and energy systems; the release does not give additional estimation details or base years for them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can wildlife populations recover?
Yes. The index includes increases as well as declines, and WWF’s 2024 report highlights examples associated with conservation and reintroduction:
- A Virunga mountain gorilla subpopulation increased by around 3% per year from 2010 to 2016.
- The central European bison population rose from 0 to 6,800 between 1970 and 2020.
These examples show that recovery is possible; they do not establish that a handful of gains offset losses across the global index. As ZSL CEO Matthew Gould said in WWF-UK’s October 2024 release, “But we know nature can recover, given the opportunity, and that we still have the chance to act.”
What can—and can’t—the report tell us?
Published on October 10, 2024, the 15th edition of WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report uses source data ending in 2020. Its 73% figure is therefore not a measurement through 2024 or a current count of all wildlife. It signals broad declines in the monitored vertebrate populations, while leaving out unmonitored species and other dimensions of biodiversity.
WWF warns that continued pressure on nature raises risks of ecosystem tipping points. The index itself does not forecast that a particular ecosystem will cross a tipping point on a specific date. The report’s message is to address the systems WWF identifies—especially food, finance, and energy—while recognizing that the index is an indicator of change, not a precise forecast of what comes next.
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