There are just over 1,000 mountain gorillasleft on earth. It sounds impossibly small — and it is — but it comes with a twist that almost no other endangered species can claim: the number is going up. Mountain gorillas are the only great ape on the planet whose population is known to be increasing, which makes counting them one of the most hopeful jobs in conservation.

Here’s the latest figure, where those gorillas actually live, how the count has changed, and why an hour spent trekking to see one does more good than almost any other thing a traveller can do in East Africa.

How Many Mountain Gorillas Are Left? The Latest Count

The most recent comprehensive census put the world’s mountain gorilla population at 1,063 individuals. They exist in just two places on earth — two isolated forest populations, with no mountain gorillas surviving anywhere in captivity:

  • The Bwindi–Sarambwe ecosystem— Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and the adjoining Sarambwe reserve in the DRC
  • The Virunga Massif— a chain of volcanoes straddling Uganda (Mgahinga), Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park), and the DRC (Virunga National Park)

A fresh count of the Bwindi–Sarambwe population is underway as we write, conducted in careful sweeps to avoid missing or double-counting any animals. [NEEDS INPUT / UPDATE LATER: the 2025 Bwindi–Sarambwe census results weren’t published at time of writing — worth updating this figure once the new total is released.]

Image: Mountain gorilla family resting in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Mountain Gorillas by Country

Because the two populations span four national parks in three countries, the gorillas don’t belong to any one nation — they roam forests that cross international borders. From the last full census:

  • Bwindi–Sarambwe: around 459 gorillas, in roughly 36 social groups plus a number of solitary males
  • Virunga Massif: a minimum of around 604 gorillas

Uganda is the single best country for seeing them, holding roughly half the world’s population in Bwindi alone, plus a habituated family in Mgahinga. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and the DRC’s Virunga share the rest.

A Rare Conservation Success Story

To appreciate why 1,000 is a number worth celebrating, you have to know where the species came from. In the 1980s, mountain gorillas were down to an estimated 250–300 animals, and many conservationists genuinely expected them to be extinct by the turn of the century.

Instead, decades of daily protection — ranger patrols, snare removal, veterinary intervention, and tightly controlled tourism — turned the tide. The population has more than tripled. In 2018 the species was downlisted by the IUCN from “Critically Endangered” to “Endangered,” a rare piece of genuinely good news in African wildlife, reflecting that steady climb.

Mountain gorillas are the only great ape whose numbers are confirmed to be rising. Every other — chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and the other gorilla subspecies — is in decline.

Wait — Aren’t There Other Gorillas?

Yes, and this is where a lot of confusion creeps into the “how many gorillas are left” question. “Mountain gorilla” refers to one specific subspecies. Gorillas as a whole are split into two species and four subspecies:

  • Mountain gorilla(a subspecies of the eastern gorilla) — the ~1,063 we’ve been discussing; Endangered
  • Grauer’s / eastern lowland gorilla— confined to the eastern DRC, numbering a few thousand and Critically Endangered
  • Western lowland gorilla— by far the most numerous, in the tens of thousands across Central Africa, but still Critically Endangered and declining
  • Cross River gorilla— the rarest of all, with only a couple of hundred left on the Nigeria–Cameroon border

So when someone asks how many gorillas are left “in the world,” the honest answer depends on which gorilla they mean. The mountain gorilla — the one you trek to see in Uganda and Rwanda — is the rarest of the well-known kinds, but also the only one that’s recovering.

Why Are There So Few?

Mountain gorillas have never been numerous, but the pressures that pushed them to the brink are all human in origin:

  • Habitat loss— their forests are islands of green surrounded by some of the most densely farmed land in Africa
  • Snares— gorillas are rarely targeted directly, but they’re maimed or killed by traps set for other animals
  • Disease— sharing ~98% of our DNA, gorillas are vulnerable to human respiratory illnesses, which is why trekking rules are so strict
  • Regional instability— parts of their range have been affected by conflict, making protection harder

How Tourism Actually Helps

Here’s the part that surprises people: responsible gorilla tourism is one of the main reasons the population is growing. The permit fee that each trekker pays flows into park protection, ranger salaries, veterinary care, and community projects around the forests — giving local people a direct, tangible reason to value living gorillas over cleared farmland.

Numbers are kept deliberately low: only habituated families are visited, a maximum of eight people spend just one hour with a group per day, and health precautions are strict. It’s conservation funded by wonder. We break down exactly how a trek works, what to pack, and how to prepare in our guide to gorilla trekking tips.

Where to See Mountain Gorillas

There are only three countries on earth where you can trek to see a mountain gorilla: Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga), Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park), and the DRC (Virunga National Park). Uganda offers the most gorilla families, the most permit availability, and the widest range of lodges at every budget, which makes it the natural choice for most first visits.

A morning with a habituated family is the centrepiece of our Uganda gorilla & wildlife safari, and if your time is tight, a focused short gorilla-tracking trip can put you in the forest in as little as three days.

Mountain Gorilla FAQ

How many mountain gorillas are left in the world?Just over 1,000 — the last full census counted 1,063, and the number has been rising.

Are mountain gorillas still endangered?Yes. They were downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2018, but “Endangered” still means they remain at real risk.

Where do mountain gorillas live?Only in two forest ecosystems spanning Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC — the Bwindi–Sarambwe area and the Virunga Massif. None survive in captivity.

Can you still see them in the wild?Yes — through permitted, guided trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, or the DRC. It’s strictly limited, which is exactly what keeps the gorillas safe.

Be Part of the Good News

Every mountain gorilla alive today exists because enough people decided they were worth protecting — and trekkers are part of that equation. If you’d like to stand a few metres from a silverback and help fund the patrols that keep his family safe, tell us your dates and our planners will build the trip around a Bwindi gorilla trek.