The tiger population is on the rise in India. There are 2,967 tigers in India according to the Status of Tigers report of 2018. Do you know which state has the highest number of Tigers in India? Let’s find out.
Which state has the highest number of Tigers in India?
Madhya Pradesh is the state with the highest number of Tigers in India. There were 526 tigers estimated in Madhya Pradesh in 2018. Karnataka is a close second with an estimated 524 tigers followed by Uttarakhand which has 442 tigers.
The Tiger population in India increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018.
Madhya Pradesh has some of the best forests for tiger sightings. The Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger reserves are famous all over the world for their tiger safaris. The 6 tiger reserves in MP are –
Tiger reserve | Number of tigers utilizing the reserve |
Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve | 124 |
Kanha Tiger reserve | 108 |
Panna Tiger reserve | 31 |
Pench Tiger reserve | 87 |
Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve | 6 |
Satpura Tiger reserve | 47 |
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Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board in October 2022 announced that the Durgavati tiger reserve will be a new tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The reserve will have an area of 2,339 square kilometers covering parts of the Narisinghpur, Damoh, and Sagar districts.
Top 5 states with the highest Tiger population in India
State | Number of Tigers |
Madhya Pradesh | 526 |
Karnataka | 524 |
Uttarakhand | 442 |
Maharashtra | 312 |
Tamil Nadu | 264 |

The forest departments of various states have done a tremendous job of conserving and managing the wildlife and ecosystems, and also of developing a tourism industry around the forests. With the increase in forest area hopefully, the Tiger population will increase even further in our country.