Extant
Extant & Vagrant
Possibly Extant
Blue Whale Population by Country 2024
Although whales of any kind have always fascinated human beings, blue whales are truly in a class by themselves due to their massive size. In fact, they are the largest known animals on the planet.
However, blue whales are also classified as endangered. It’s currently estimated that between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales exist worldwide with approximately 5,000 to 15,000 of those having reached full maturity.
As with most animals, blue whale populations can vary drastically from country to country according to a variety of different factors. Here’s a closer look at what that’s all about.
Countries Where Blue Whales Are Most Abundant
Although blue whales reside in all the world’s oceans, save for certain portions of the Arctic Ocean, they tend to favor areas with sprawling coastlines and thriving ecosystems that simplify the process of staying nourished. Some of the nations with notable blue whale populations in 2023 include the following:
Iceland
Around 1,000 or more blue whales are currently estimated to live in the North Atlantic Ocean with frequent sightings reported off the coast of Iceland. People spot them most often in the summer.
United States
Various portions of the United States are also home to some of the largest portions of the world’s remaining blue whale population. This is especially the case along the coastlines of regions like Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and up and down the California coast.
Russia
Russia is home to much of the blue whale population that does live in the Arctic. In fact, the waters off the coast of Russia are considered crucial breeding and feeding grounds for the species.
Canada
Blue whales are fairly well concentrated up and down the coasts of Canada, as well, especially where the nation borders the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The St. Lawrence Estuary is a notable Canadian location that’s also a near year-round blue whale hot spot.
Factors Influencing Global Blue Whale Populations
Tracking and understanding the distribution of blue whales around the world is a key part of preserving the species and helping it to thrive. Doing so also sheds light on the health of various marine ecosystems, as areas blue whales choose are frequently healthier and better balanced.
Other factors that affect the blue whale population within a specific country or region include localized conservation efforts and overall management of local marine resources. It’s also important to note that blue whales are migratory animals and may be more abundant in certain areas according to the seasons.
- The number of mature blue whales in the world is estimated to range from 5,000 to 15,000.
- Because blue whales roam the oceans at will from the equator to the poles, per-country population counts are both highly impractical and logistically challenging to compute.
- As such, countries shown are those in whose territorial waters blue whales are known to live at least part of the year (extant), do not live but have been sighted (vagrant), or have not been sighted but could likely occur based upon available habitat (possibly extant).
- There exist an estimated total of 1,000–3,000 blue whales in the North Atlantic, 3,000–5,000 in the North Pacific and 5,000–8,000 in the Antarctic. There are possibly 1,000–3,000 blue whales in the eastern South Pacific, while the pygmy blue whale may number 2,000–5,000 individuals.