Historically, giraffe roamed freely all throughout Africa and in the 18th century, their numbers were estimated at over one million animals. In the late 1800s, giraffe and other cloven-hoofed animals were decimated by rinderpest, which was brought to Africa from Europe by infected cattle. Our first reliable giraffe number estimates date back to the 1980s, when Africa was home to 155,000 giraffe. Based on these numbers, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation estimates that the combined African giraffe population initially declined by almost 30%, but now rebounded to approximately 140,000 individuals remaining today. While this is a marked increase from the less than 100,000 individuals previously reported on the IUCN Red List in 2016, this can be attributed to a culmination of improved data gathering, awareness and successful conservation efforts. However, it is important to remember that there are in fact four distinct species of giraffe and their numbers should be assessed separately. As such, some giraffe species are more in trouble than others, and three of the four giraffe species are under immense threat. Some populations have plummeted by more than 90% in the same period.
But most importantly, there is also good news. Largely due to the conservation efforts and partnership approach of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, most giraffe populations in Africa are showing positive upward trends. Increased interest in the conservation of these charismatic and sentinel animals has a positive impact and helps to improve the future outlook for giraffe in Africa.
While giraffe were historically thought to be only one single species, the groundbreaking genetic and morphological research of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and our partners has found that there are four distinct species of giraffe. To secure their future in Africa, it is critical to afford each species the appropriate conservation status.
All four giraffe species and their subspecies occupy distinct geographical regions in Africa. Interestingly, there is little to no evidence of natural hybridization in the wild, while this has been observed in captivity.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation uses pioneering science to inform all our giraffe conservation efforts throughout Africa and working with expert partners is at the core of our conservation approach. Together with our partners, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation is a strong voice for giraffe!
The current IUCN Red List status of giraffe is listed below, however, new Red List assessments are underway since the IUCN now officially recognizes four species of giraffe. In our State of Giraffe 2025 conservation status assessment of all four species of giraffe, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation highlights that three of the four giraffe species are highly threatened.
IUCN Red List (2016)
| Current IUCN Red List (2016) | |
| As a single species: | |
| Giraffe | Vulnerable |
| The listed subspecies: | |
| Angolan giraffe | Least Concern |
| Luangwa (Thornicroft’s) giraffe | Vulnerable |
| Kordofan giraffe | Critically Endangered |
| Masai giraffe | Endangered |
| Nubian giraffe | Critically Endangered |
| Reticulated giraffe | Endangered |
| Rothschild’s giraffe | Near Threatened |
| South African giraffe | Not Assessed |
| West African giraffe | Vulnerable |
New expected IUCN Red List assessment (2025)
| 4 distinct species: | |
| Masai giraffe | Vulnerable |
| Northern giraffe | Endangered |
| Reticulated giraffe | Endangered |
| Southern giraffe | Least Concern |
