India, Oct. 15 -- There are 22,446 elephants in the country according to All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2025 conducted by Wildlife Institute of India, almost 17% lower than the 2017 estimate, though experts said the two were not comparable.

The range provided is between 18,255 and 26,645 with Karnataka ( 6013) having the highest population as per the report.

The Western Ghats is home to the highest number of elephants. 11,934, followed by the north-eastern hills and Brahmaputra floodplains with 6,559.The Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains support 2,062 elephants, while Central India and the Eastern Ghats together have 1,891.

The estimate of 22,466 elephants is lower than 27,000 elephants estimated in Synchronised ele...