Polar bears are not evenly distributed throughout the Arctic, nor do they comprise a single nomadic cosmopolitan population, but rather occur in 19 relatively discrete subpopulations. There is however an uncertainty about the discreteness of the less studied subpopulations, particularly in the Russian Arctic and neighbouring areas, due to very restricted data on live capture and tagging. The total number of polar bears worldwide is estimated to be 20,000 - 25,000.
Here you will find the official status reviews as they have been conluded and agreed upon by the PBSG at their latest meeting. There are three types of information: status descriptions, a population boundary map and the status table. The written information are also of three kinds. First, there is the full status descriptions given under a separate menu item. Second, there are short summaries of these given as floating text for each population on the map. Finally, there are comments to each population in the status table. These comments carry information that both overlap and complement the status descriptions.