How many badgers are there in the UK?

Where does the 485,000 figure come from?

From a study by Judge and colleagues, published in Scientific Reports in 2017. They combined two pieces of work:

• A national survey of main setts in 2011–13, which estimated about 71,600 badger social groups in England and Wales
• Hair trapping at 120 main setts, using DNA to count individual badgers, which gave an average group size of about 6.7 badgers

How many badgers are there in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The 2017 study covered England and Wales only. The People's Trust for Endangered Species gives a figure of about 562,000 badgers for Great Britain as a whole. Badgers are widespread in Northern Ireland, but there is no recent count to compare.

Are badger numbers going up or down?

The 2017 study found its results consistent with a marked increase in badgers in England and Wales since the 1980s, and the Mammal Society lists the British population as stable and of Least Concern. Since then, more than 250,000 badgers have been culled in England, according to Badger Trust, so the next survey matters. Has the badger cull ended?

Why is it so hard to count badgers?

Badgers live underground and come out at night, so they can't be counted directly. Surveyors count main setts in a random sample of 1 km squares, each main sett roughly marking one clan, then estimate how many badgers live in each clan. Both steps carry uncertainty, which is why the estimate comes with a wide range.

When will we know the new figure?

The Animal and Plant Health Agency began the first national badger survey in over a decade in early 2025. It is the fourth in a series, after 1985–88, 1994–97 and 2011–13. Defra expects fieldwork to finish in the winter of 2026/27, with a report to follow. We'll update this page as soon as it's published.