Rwanda doesn’t have a single official gorilla count, and most figures you’ll see online blur that fact. My best estimate is somewhere around 350 mountain gorillas living in Rwanda, and every number below comes with a caveat.

Why there’s no clean answer

Mountain gorillas live in two isolated populations. One is in the Virunga Massif, a chain of volcanoes shared by Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The other is in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Rwanda’s gorillas all live in the Rwandan slice of the Virungas, inside Volcanoes National Park. Gorillas ignore borders, and groups move between the three countries’ parks. So the surveys count the whole Virunga population rather than assigning a number to each country.

The headline numbers

The most widely cited census figure comes from the 2015–2016 survey of the Virunga Massif. A census completed in 2016 showed 604 mountain gorillas known to inhabit the Virunga mountains. That 604 covers all three countries, not just Rwanda. Even so, some tourism websites present it as Rwanda’s number. One site, for example, says Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is home to 604 of the roughly 1,063 endangered mountain gorillas. That overstates Rwanda’s share, because the Virunga total also includes gorillas on the Ugandan and Congolese sides.

The other figure you’ll see is about 1,063, which is the estimated global population of mountain gorillas. It combines the Virunga survey with a separate census of Bwindi and the neighboring Sarambwe reserve. One source explains that this figure comes from the last full census (Virunga Massif in 2015–2016 and Bwindi-Sarambwe in 2018). Some sites describe it as a 2026 number, but it dates from those earlier surveys. A newer census may exist, but I couldn’t find results I’d trust. One blog mentions a late-2024 census, but it doesn’t back that up with an original source, so I’d treat that claim cautiously.

Estimating Rwanda’s share

There is one useful recent data point. A 2026 study of wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda, focused on respiratory illness, examined 346 individuals in 21 family groups. That is a research sample, not an official census, and it may not include every gorilla in the country. Still, it’s the closest thing to a recent count of gorillas living in Rwanda. It matches the rough proportion you’d expect if slightly more than half of the Virunga population lives on the Rwandan side.

So the most defensible statement is that Rwanda hosts roughly 350 mountain gorillas, or perhaps a few hundred more if you count animals that range across the border. That is well under the 604 figure and far below the global 1,063.

Habituated groups versus wild groups

Only some of Rwanda’s gorillas are used to human visitors. Tourism sources list 11 habituated mountain gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park, including Susa, Sabyinyo, Kwitonda and Agashya. Other sources give slightly different counts, and the number changes as groups split or new ones are habituated. Some groups are habituated only for scientific research, and many others remain fully wild and undisturbed. Visitor numbers are tightly controlled. There are only 98 permits per day, and each group gets a maximum of one hour with tourists.

Why the trend matters more than the exact number

Regardless of the precise figure, the direction is what makes mountain gorillas notable. A census published in 1981 found that the population had fallen to 242 individuals, from a 1960 estimate of 400–500. Since then, the mountain gorillas of the Virungas are the only great ape species to have increased in number in recent decades. The Virunga population rose from roughly 480 around 2010 to 604 by 2016. That is a real conservation success, driven by daily ranger patrols, veterinary care, anti-poaching work and community programs. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Rwanda Development Board run much of the protection and monitoring in Rwanda.

Risks that could reverse the gains

The population is still small and vulnerable. The habitat is limited, and one source puts the total mountain gorilla range at only about 800 square kilometers. Disease is a persistent worry because gorillas are so closely related to humans. Respiratory infections passed from people can spread through a group quickly. That is why trekking rules require distance and mask use, and why the 2026 research on respiratory illness matters.

Space is another constraint. One reported plan, tied to a World Bank-backed project, would expand Volcanoes National Park by roughly a quarter. That would give the growing population more room and reduce pressure from surrounding farmland, though the sources give slightly different figures for the size of the expansion.

The bottom line

• Rwanda specifically: roughly 350 gorillas, based on the 2026 study of 346 animals in 21 groups. This is an estimate rather than an official national census.
• The Virunga Massif (Rwanda, Uganda, DRC combined): 604 as of the 2015–2016 census.
• Worldwide: about 1,063 mountain gorillas, from the Virunga and Bwindi surveys combined.

For an authoritative, current count, the best sources are the Rwanda Development Board, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. They publish the census results, and they’d be the first to announce any new survey.