Penguin Conservation Tracker
12 of 19 penguin species — 63% — are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered, and 12 have a declining population trend. This page tracks where every species sits on the IUCN Red List and records when those listings change.
Recent Red List movements
Status is not static. These are the assessments that changed what we publish, newest first.
- Emperor PenguinApril 9, 2026Near ThreatenedEndangereduplisted
Moved two categories in a single assessment. Emperors breed on fast ice that must hold from laying through fledging and moult, and that ice has hit record lows since 2016. Satellite counts show roughly a 10% loss between 2009 and 2018 — more than 20,000 adults — and modelling across a range of emissions scenarios projects the population halving by the 2080s.
IUCN Red List press release, 9 April 2026 - African PenguinOctober 28, 2024EndangeredCritically Endangereduplisted
The first penguin to reach Critically Endangered. Breeding numbers have collapsed by roughly 97% from historical levels, driven by competition with purse-seine fisheries for sardine and anchovy, and by prey shifting away from established colonies faster than the birds can follow.
BirdLife International — Red List update
The five rarest penguins
Ranked by estimated total individuals. Pair counts are doubled so the comparison is like for like.
Every species by risk
All 19 species, highest risk first, then rarest within each band.
| Species | Status | Population | Trend | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Penguin | Critically Endangered | ~41,700 individuals | Decreasing | 2024 |
| Galapagos Penguin | Endangered | ~1,200 individuals | Decreasing | 2021 |
| Yellow-eyed Penguin | Endangered | ~3,400 individuals | Decreasing | 2022 |
| Erect-crested Penguin | Endangered | ~150,000 breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Northern Rockhopper Penguin | Endangered | ~240,300 breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Emperor Penguin | Endangered | ~595,000 individuals | Decreasing | 2026 |
| Fiordland Penguin | Vulnerable | ~6,250 breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Humboldt Penguin | Vulnerable | ~23,800 individuals | Decreasing | 2021 |
| Snares Penguin | Vulnerable | ~25,000 breeding pairs | Stable | 2020 |
| Western Rockhopper Penguin | Vulnerable | ~1.5 million breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Eastern Rockhopper Penguin | Vulnerable | ~1.6 million breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Macaroni Penguin | Vulnerable | ~6.3 million breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |
| Royal Penguin | Near Threatened | ~850,000 breeding pairs | Stable | 2020 |
| Little Blue Penguin | Least Concern | ~469,760 individuals | Mixed | 2020 |
| Gentoo Penguin | Least Concern | ~774,000 breeding pairs | Increasing | 2020 |
| Magellanic Penguin | Least Concern | ~1.8 million breeding pairs | Mixed | 2020 |
| King Penguin | Least Concern | ~2.2 million breeding pairs | Stable | 2020 |
| Adelie Penguin | Least Concern | ~7.6 million breeding pairs | Mixed | 2020 |
| Chinstrap Penguin | Least Concern | ~8 million breeding pairs | Decreasing | 2020 |