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Data

Number of rhinos poached

About this data

Source
IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC (2019) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
December 14, 2022
Date range
1980–2021
Unit
rhinos poached

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC – African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade

Estimates of rhino poaching numbers and rates are collected and published periodically by the African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC groups.

Data on the number of rhinos poached is annual, where available. Rhino horn seizures data is the total over the period from 2009 to September 2018.

The majority of figures on number of rhinos poached, and seizures are sourced from:

Emslie, R.H. et al., 2019. African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade. A report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to Resolution Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP17). Report to CITES 17th meeting (Colombo, June 2019), CoP 18 Doc.83.1 annex 3: 1-38. Available at: http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/156/1560170144.pdf.

This was supplemented, where suitable, by statistics from: http://www.poachingfacts.com/poaching-statistics/rhino-poaching-statistics/.

Retrieved on
December 14, 2022
Retrieved from
http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/156/1560170144.pdf
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Emslie, R.H. et al. (2019). African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade. A report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to Resolution Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP17). Report to CITES 17th meeting (Colombo, June 2019), CoP 18 Doc.83.1 annex 3: 1-38.

Estimates of rhino poaching numbers and rates are collected and published periodically by the African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC groups.

Data on the number of rhinos poached is annual, where available. Rhino horn seizures data is the total over the period from 2009 to September 2018.

The majority of figures on number of rhinos poached, and seizures are sourced from:

Emslie, R.H. et al., 2019. African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade. A report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to Resolution Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP17). Report to CITES 17th meeting (Colombo, June 2019), CoP 18 Doc.83.1 annex 3: 1-38. Available at: http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/156/1560170144.pdf.

This was supplemented, where suitable, by statistics from: http://www.poachingfacts.com/poaching-statistics/rhino-poaching-statistics/.

Retrieved on
December 14, 2022
Retrieved from
http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/156/1560170144.pdf
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Emslie, R.H. et al. (2019). African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade. A report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to Resolution Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP17). Report to CITES 17th meeting (Colombo, June 2019), CoP 18 Doc.83.1 annex 3: 1-38.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Number of rhinos poached”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/number-of-rhinos-poached.html [online resource] (archived on May 11, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC (2019) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC (2019) – processed by Our World in Data. “Number of rhinos poached” [dataset]. IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC, “African and Asian rhinoceroses - status, conservation and trade” [original data]. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/number-of-rhinos-poached.html (archived on May 11, 2026).

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