Hedgehog Population by Country 2025

The exact number of hedgehogs is unknown because they’re isn’t robust way to track the population.

The hedgehog population is on the decline due to few hedgerows and grasslands, which gives them fewer places to find food and cover from predators.

A total of twenty-three living hedgehog species exist in Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.

The estimate is that 1.5 million hedgehogs live in Great Britain - 1.1 million in England, 310,000 in Scotland, and 140,000 in Wales.

The European hedgehog is the largest species, can weigh over four pounds, and has between 5,000 and 6,500 quills.

Europeans introduced hedgehogs to New Zealand as a reminder of home when so far away from Europe. There are now more European hedgehogs in New Zealand in actual Europe.

The hedgehog has overpopulated New Zealand to the point where they’ve become pests due to not having any natural predators. Hedgehogs eat native species of insects, snails, lizards, and baby ground-nesting birds.

The African pygmy hedgehog, or the four-toed hedgehog, is the smallest species of hedgehog. Africa’s hedgehog population is stable, with owls, foxes, and other predators being its only threat.

Native to Central America and parts of the Middle East, the long-eared hedgehogs live in burrows that they dug themselves or found.

The long-eared hedgehog is prone to carrying parasites and diseases, including the plague, and can transfer them to humans.

The desert hedgehog can be found in many countries, including the Middle East. The desert hedgehog has a band across its face and a wide muzzle, which makes it distinguishable from the long-eared species.

Hugh’s hedgehog, also known as the central Chinese hedgehog, is native to China and Manchuria and has long snouts that help them hunt. The central Chinese hedgehog prefers dry steppes but is found in scrublands and forests.