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About this data

Living Planet Index by region
WWF & ZSL
The Living Planet Index (LPI) is a measure of the state of global biological diversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from around the world. The index value is measured relative to species' populations in 1970 (i.e. 1970 = 1).
Source
World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Last updated
September 30, 2026
Next expected update
September 2028
Date range
1970–2022
Unit
(1970 = 1)

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London – Living Planet Index

The Living Planet Index (LPI) is a measure of the state of global biological diversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from around the world. The 2026 index represents 35,803 monitored populations of 5,790 vertebrate species. It tracks changes in the relative abundance of wildlife populations that have been consistently monitored in a specific area over time. All indices are weighted by species richness, giving species-rich taxonomic groups in terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems more weight than groups with fewer species. Using a method developed by ZSL and WWF, these species population trends are aggregated to produce indices of the state of biodiversity.

The index value is measured relative to species' populations in 1970 (i.e. 1970 = 1).

To calculate an LPI, a generalized additive modeling framework is used to determine the underlying trend in each population time-series. Average rates of change are then calculated and aggregated to the species level, and then combined into indices using a weighting system that gives trends from more species-rich systems, realms and groups more weight in the final index.

Retrieved on
September 30, 2026
Retrieved from
http://stats.livingplanetindex.org/
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.
WWF (2026) Living Planet Report 2026 – The Science of Hope. WWF, Gland, Switzerland.

The Living Planet Index (LPI) is a measure of the state of global biological diversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from around the world. The 2026 index represents 35,803 monitored populations of 5,790 vertebrate species. It tracks changes in the relative abundance of wildlife populations that have been consistently monitored in a specific area over time. All indices are weighted by species richness, giving species-rich taxonomic groups in terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems more weight than groups with fewer species. Using a method developed by ZSL and WWF, these species population trends are aggregated to produce indices of the state of biodiversity.

The index value is measured relative to species' populations in 1970 (i.e. 1970 = 1).

To calculate an LPI, a generalized additive modeling framework is used to determine the underlying trend in each population time-series. Average rates of change are then calculated and aggregated to the species level, and then combined into indices using a weighting system that gives trends from more species-rich systems, realms and groups more weight in the final index.

Retrieved on
September 30, 2026
Retrieved from
http://stats.livingplanetindex.org/
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.
WWF (2026) Living Planet Report 2026 – The Science of Hope. WWF, Gland, Switzerland.

How we process data at Our World in Data

All data and visualizations on Our World in Data rely on data sourced from one or several original data providers. Preparing this original data involves several processing steps. Depending on the data, this can include standardizing country names and world region definitions, converting units, calculating derived indicators such as per capita measures, as well as adding or adapting metadata such as the name or the description given to an indicator.

At the link below you can find a detailed description of the structure of our data pipeline, including links to all the code used to prepare data across Our World in Data.

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Reuse this work

  • All data produced by third-party providers and made available by Our World in Data are subject to the license terms from the original providers. Our work would not be possible without the data providers we rely on, so we ask you to always cite them appropriately (see below). This is crucial to allow data providers to continue doing their work, enhancing, maintaining and updating valuable data.
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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: Living Planet Index by region”, part of the following publication: Hannah Ritchie, Fiona Spooner, and Max Roser (2022) - “Biodiversity”. Data adapted from World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20261008-060707/grapher/living-planet-index-by-region.html [online resource] (archived on October 8, 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:

World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data

Full citation

World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. “Living Planet Index by region – WWF & ZSL” [dataset]. World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London, “Living Planet Index” [original data]. Retrieved October 8, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20261008-060707/grapher/living-planet-index-by-region.html (archived on October 8, 2026).

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