418 killed in tiger attacks across India from 2020–25: RTI

Dehradun: As many as 418 people were killed in tiger attacks across India between 2020 and 2025, as per response to an RTI query filed by an activist. The response cited National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) figures. The toll is nearly double the 224 deaths recorded between 2014 and 2019, activist Amit Gupta told TOI, adding, "The tiger population is increasing, and so are incidents of human-animal conflict. This requires focused mitigation measures."Year-wise RTI data shows a sharp spike in 2022. Human deaths stood at 51 in 2020, 59 in 2021, 110 in 2022, 85 in 2023, 73 in 2024, and 40 in 2025, together accounting for 418 fatalities. Compensation paid to victims' families over the six years totalled around Rs 50 crore and the annual payouts were Rs 495 lakh in 2020, Rs 507.5 lakh in 2021, Rs 1,482.5 lakh in 2022, Rs 1,148 lakh in 2023, Rs 1,124.5 lakh in 2024, and Rs 247.4 lakh in 2025, Gupta said. The spike in deaths in 2022 corresponded with the highest compensation disbursal.
Gupta pointed out that compensation payouts have risen significantly alongside fatalities. "While the ex-gratia earlier stood at around Rs 29 crore for comparable periods, it is now nearing Rs 50–60 crore. Annual deaths, once around 40 to 50, are now closer to 70 to 80, showing an upward trend," he said, adding that the increase points both to human encroachment into tiger habitats and gaps in conflict mitigation. A senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer said Maharashtra accounted for the largest share of fatalities, partly because it offers higher compensation of around Rs 20 to 25 lakh per death and has seen a spike in tiger populations in some regions. "There have been instances where, after a person's death, bodies were dumped in tiger-inhabited areas and the deaths were later attributed to tiger attacks," he said.Another senior IFS officer in the Union environment ministry said the rise in fatalities must be seen in the context of India's growing tiger population, now estimated at 3,682. "With such a large population, 50 to 60 accidental deaths annually is not alarming. Conflict rises in areas where tiger numbers increase rapidly and people are not yet accustomed to co-existence," the officer said, citing Maharashtra's Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve as an example. In contrast, he said, Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve has recorded no human deaths despite having more than 80 villages within its boundaries, largely due to established coexistence practices. The officials added that most fatalities occurred outside tiger reserves, in territorial forest divisions, often at night and during attempts to protect or retrieve livestock. India's tiger recovery has been one of the world's biggest conservation successes, with numbers rising from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 now, accounting for nearly 75% of the global wild tiger population. However, scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India estimate that nearly 30% of these animals — over 1,100 tigers — now roam outside protected reserves, increasing the potential for conflict. To address this, the environment ministry launched the Tiger Outside Tiger Reserve (TOTR) programme in 2025, focusing on conflict mitigation and promoting coexistence in forest fringe areas where human and tiger territories increasingly overlap.