The 21 Countries That Still Have Lions (And What They’re Doing to Conserve Them)

Lions are one of the quintessential species of Africa, but they once ranged much further. In the past their habitat included parts of Asia and Europe as well as most of the continent of Africa. Today, they are extinct in 94 percent of their historic range and are a vulnerable species in their remaining habitats in sub-Saharan Africa and India. The number of lions has fallen from 200,000 to just 20,000 over the past 50 years. 21 countries still have wild lions, but the population continues to dwindle. Let’s explore where lions still live and what their host countries are doing to help conserve them. This list is arranged in ascending order based on the number of lions estimated still living within that country’s borders.

21. Central African Republic

About 50 lions remain in the Central African Republic. Many of them live in the Chinko Nature Reserve in the eastern part of the country. The Lion Recovery Fund is working with local herdsmen to create livestock corridors around the wilderness zone to keep lions and people separated.

20. Niger

There are about 100 lions left in Niger within the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) protected area. 90% of the lions in West Africa live in this wilderness reserve.

19. Cameroon

Cameroon has such diverse habitats it has been called a “miniature Africa.” There are rainforests in the south, savannahs in the middle of the country, and arid land in the north. About 100 lions live in protected areas in the northern part of the country.

18. Sudan

Sudan is thought to have about 100 lions left, but it’s difficult to tell because the country is war-torn. Recently, 11 emaciated and traumatized lions were evacuated from Sudan to a big cat sanctuary in South Africa.

17. India

India has 100-600 Asiatic lions protected in the Gir National Park in the state of Gujarat. Having recently passed China to become the most populous country in the world, India has to take special care to make sure human activities do not infringe on the habitats of protected species.

16. Senegal

There are only about 250 West African lions left in the world and 150 of them live in Senegal. The country has partnered with conservation organizations to track and monitor them. This scientific monitoring, along with strict anti-poaching enforcement, has doubled the lion population in Senegal’s Niokolo Koba National Park.

15. Chad

200 lions call the Saharan country Chad their home. Working with conservation organizations, Chad has been able to grow its lion population in the Zakouma National Park.

14. Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s 250 lions live mainly in the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) protected area in the border regions of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In West Africa, 90% of lions live in this wilderness area.

13. Benin

Pendjari National Park in Benin is an important area for lion conservation. It is part of the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) protected area that includes parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. 90% of West Africa’s lions live in this wilderness area. The lion population in Benin is about 350.

12. Malawi

Malawi is a relatively small country but it has a substantial population of about 500 lions. With support from the Dutch government and conservation organizations, lions were successfully reintroduced to Liwonde National Park after they had gone extinct there.

11. Ethiopia

Ethiopian lions are genetically rich and distinct because the region has been a sort of crossroads between southern, northern, and Middle Eastern lion species in the past. About 800 lions survive in the country today. Ethiopia is a heavily populated country with 120 million people and very little wilderness left for lions.

10. Uganda

There are about 900 lions in Uganda, a quite small East African nation. Most of them live in one of three national parks: Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park. The COVID-19 crisis impacted conservation because it drew funds away from the Uganda Wildlife Authority for pandemic-related problems.

9. Angola

Angola has about 1,000 lions remaining. The big cat conservation organization Panthera is supporting the management of Angola’s 30,000 square mile Luengue-Luiana National Park, which is considered to have great potential for increasing lion numbers in the country.

8. Namibia

Namibia is a thinly populated country mainly covered by the Namib and Kalahari deserts. Of the country’s 1,435 lions, a large concentration lives in the northern Namib in the coastal part of the country. Desert Lion Conservation is one of the organizations working to study this population and improve its chances of survival.

7. Mozambique

1,500 lions live in Mozambique. One of the largest lion populations in Africa is the Niassa Special Reserve, which is larger than Switzerland. Up to 1,000 lions live there. Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas is in charge of protecting them.

6. Zimbabwe

The African Wildlife Foundation is working with the government of Zimbabwe to conserve the 1,709 lions living there. Some of the policies they advocate involve human-lion conflict mitigation and making sure local human populations have access to resources in lion country so that they don’t feel they have to kill the lions to gain access to water supplies, wild game, and other necessities. The country has several national parks to protect lions and other species.

5. Zambia

Zambia’s 2,349 lion benefit from the country’s partnership with the SCI Foundation, which is helping authorities explore sustainable lion-hunting practices. An example of this is age-based trophy selection, which would cull old and sick lions from the pride and leave more resources for the younger breeding pairs and cubs. Funds earned by issuing licenses for controlled trophy-hunting can provide valuable resources for parks and conservation programs and create a high incentive to control poaching.

4. Kenya

With 2,515 lions remaining, Kenya is struggling to maintain its wildlife population. It has the largest economy in East Africa, with agriculture being one of the mainstays of its prosperity. Many lions are killed due to encounters with farmers and ranchers. The Masai Mara has the largest concentration of lions and is a popular destination for photographic safaris.

3. Botswana

Botswana has 3,063 lions. They are a partially protected species there, so they can be hunted only with a permit. Killing a lion must be reported within 7 days or the hunter could be fined and imprisoned.

2. South Africa

South Africa has 3,284 lions. It’s a popular adventure tourism destination that welcomes volunteers to its lion sanctuaries as a way to spread awareness of conservation issues. The government recently announced a ban on breeding lions for hunting.

1. Tanzania

Tanzania has the largest lion population (14,500). Fortunately the numbers have held steady in spite of habitat loss and poaching. Tanzania has numerous national parks to protect lions and other species, including Serengeti National Park.