Vulnerable in one list, Endangered in another
The legal picture is not the same worldwide, or even across Australia. The threats, though, are well documented.
The IUCN Red List assesses the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as Vulnerable globally, under criteria A2b+3bce+4bce. The assessment date is 27 May 2014 (published 2020, and annotated as needing an update). IUCN Red List: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) · checked 12 Nov 2026 The IUCN population trend is decreasing, with a global estimate of 100,000–500,000 mature individuals (best estimate 300,000). IUCN Red List: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) · checked 12 Nov 2026
The combined koala populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been listed as Endangered under Australia’s EPBC Act, in effect from 12 February 2022. Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026 The Australian Museum likewise notes that koala populations in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT are listed as Endangered under the federal EPBC Act. Australian Museum: Koala · checked 12 Nov 2026 The Queensland Government records the same February 2022 change, from Vulnerable to Endangered, for koalas in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT. Queensland Government: Koala facts · checked 12 Nov 2026
Other koala populations, in Victoria and South Australia, are not listed as threatened under the EPBC Act. Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026
- The IUCN population trend is decreasing, with a global estimate of 100,000–500,000 mature individuals (best estimate 300,000). IUCN Red List: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) · checked 12 Nov 2026
- CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program 2025 national estimate is between 729,000 and 918,000 koalas. CSIRO cautions that this may reflect increased monitoring effort rather than a substantial rise in numbers. CSIRO: Calling out the koala legends (November 2025) · checked 12 Nov 2026
The IUCN’s 100,000–500,000 figure is mature individuals from a 2014 assessment (published 2020, and marked as needing an update). CSIRO’s 2025 National Koala Monitoring Program estimate of 729,000–918,000 is a later, Australia-wide modelled total, and CSIRO says the rise may reflect better surveys rather than a real boom. They are not the same number, and neither is a simple headcount. Every disagreement we found →
- The IUCN Red List assesses the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as Vulnerable globally, under criteria A2b+3bce+4bce. The assessment date is 27 May 2014 (published 2020, and annotated as needing an update). IUCN Red List: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) · checked 12 Nov 2026
- The combined koala populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been listed as Endangered under Australia’s EPBC Act, in effect from 12 February 2022. Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026
- Other koala populations, in Victoria and South Australia, are not listed as threatened under the EPBC Act. Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026
Both can be true at once. The IUCN assesses the species as Vulnerable worldwide. Under Australian law, the combined Queensland, New South Wales and ACT populations are listed as Endangered from 12 February 2022; Victorian and South Australian populations are not listed as threatened under the EPBC Act. Every disagreement we found →
The 2025 counts
CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program 2025 national estimate is between 729,000 and 918,000 koalas. CSIRO cautions that this may reflect increased monitoring effort rather than a substantial rise in numbers. CSIRO: Calling out the koala legends (November 2025) · checked 12 Nov 2026
Until the monitoring programme can show a trend over koala generations — about 20 years — a higher estimate is not, on its own, evidence that the species has recovered.
Fire, land, climate, cars and dogs
During the 2019–2020 bushfire season, an estimated 9% (more than 36,800 km²) of the koala’s distribution was impacted by fire, according to the Australian Government conservation advice (citing DAWE 2021a). Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026 The conservation advice identifies habitat loss from land clearance and mining, climate change (including drought and rising temperatures), disease, and deaths on roads and from dogs among the main threats, which can also act together. Australian Government conservation advice for the listed koala (in effect 12 February 2022) · checked 12 Nov 2026
Chlamydia
Chlamydiosis, a bacterial disease, threatens many koala populations. Two forms can infect koalas: Chlamydia pecorum (the most common cause of disease) and Chlamydia pneumoniae. NSW Environment and Heritage: Understanding chlamydia in koalas · checked 12 Nov 2026 The disease can cause infertility, particularly in females, and can lead to blindness, weakness, and greater vulnerability to dogs and extreme weather. NSW Environment and Heritage: Understanding chlamydia in koalas · checked 12 Nov 2026 Visible signs can include keratoconjunctivitis — swollen, inflamed eyes that may discharge and, in severe cases, lead to blindness — and a brown-stained wet rump known as ‘wet bottom’. NSW Environment and Heritage: Understanding chlamydia in koalas · checked 12 Nov 2026