A line graph titled "Number of African elephants" showing a sharp decline from 1979 to 1995, followed by a slight increase and then a plateau until 2016.

Line graph depicting the population trend of African elephants over time.

Number of African elephants Our World in Data 1.4 million 1.2 million 1 million 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 1979 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2016 Africa Data source: African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG); Douglas-Hamilton (1979) OurWorldinData.org/biodiversity | CC BY Note: An earlier version of this chart included longer-run estimates dating back several centuries. These figures have been excluded due to concerns about data quality.