Iberian Lynx Population Hits Record 2,663 — Up 95% in Four Years

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and Fundación Biodiversidad released the official 2025 Iberian lynx census, confirming a record 2,663 individuals across Spain and Portugal — a 10.9% increase over 2024's 2,401 and a 95% jump since 2021. Spain holds 2,269 lynxes (85%), led by Castilla-La Mancha (1,051) and Andalusia (885), with Extremadura (302) and a new reintroduction population establishing in Castilla y León (11). Portugal accounts for 394 individuals. The census recorded 1,711 adults/subadults and 952 cubs, with 542 breeding females — 72 more than 2024 — and a fertility rate of 1.75 cubs per territorial female. The species has grown from fewer than 100 individuals in 2002, when it was the world's most endangered wild cat, at an average annual growth rate of 24% in recent years.