Determining which country has the largest bear population is complex because accurate censuses are challenging across vast, remote territories. Population estimates fluctuate, making a direct comparison difficult between nations. The answer often depends on whether the count focuses on the most widely distributed species, like the Brown Bear, or the total number encompassing all species, such as the American Black Bear.
The Country with the Highest Bear Population
Russia is generally recognized as the country with the most bears, primarily due to its overwhelming dominance in the Brown Bear population. Russia is home to approximately 120,000 to 130,000 Brown Bears, which constitutes over half of the estimated 200,000 Brown Bears remaining worldwide. Official figures from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources have placed the total bear population, including all species, at over 286,000 animals as of 2020. Russia hosts three of the world’s eight bear species: the Brown Bear, the Asiatic Black Bear, and the Polar Bear.
Species and Habitat Driving the High Count
The enormous size and geography of Russia provide ideal conditions for sustaining such a large bear population. The country’s vast, largely uninhabited wilderness extends across eleven time zones, offering immense tracts of continuous habitat. This includes the Siberian taiga and the remote Russian Far East, characterized by extensive coniferous forests and tundra environments. Low human population density across these regions minimizes habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict, allowing bear populations to thrive.
Brown Bears, which form the bulk of the population, benefit from this ecological diversity. Their range extends from the European side of the country eastward into Asia, where various subspecies have adapted to local conditions. The Kamchatka Peninsula, for example, supports one of the largest and most concentrated populations of the Kamchatka Brown Bear, a massive subspecies that grows large by feeding on abundant Pacific salmon runs.
In the Russian Far East, the Ussuri Black Bear, a subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear, occupies the dense, mixed forests along the border with China. Further north, the Arctic coastline and islands serve as habitat for the Polar Bear, a marine mammal that relies on sea ice for hunting seals. Russia’s lengthy Arctic territory supports an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 Polar Bears, which are distributed across three distinct populations in the Kara, Barents, and Chukotka Seas.
Other Major Bear Populations Worldwide
While Russia leads in Brown Bears, North America is home to a staggering number of bears, primarily driven by the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus). This species is the smallest and most widely distributed on the continent, with its total population estimated at over 600,000 individuals across the United States and Canada. The United States alone hosts between 250,000 and 300,000 American Black Bears, a figure that rivals Russia’s total bear count even before adding other North American species.
Canada also maintains a large population of the American Black Bear, estimated to be between 396,000 and 476,000. When combined with their Brown Bear and Polar Bear numbers, Canada is a contender for the highest total bear population globally. The North American Brown Bear, often called the Grizzly Bear, also contributes to the total, with approximately 55,000 individuals split between Canada and the United States, mostly concentrated in Alaska. Europe’s largest Brown Bear population outside of Russia is found in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, with estimates ranging from 6,000 to 7,000 bears.