Megadiverse Countries 2025

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Mammal Species

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

Brazil Flag

Brazil

712

China Flag

China

581

Mexico Flag

Mexico

536

Indonesia Flag

Indonesia

515

Peru Flag

Peru

500

Country
Country is Megadiverse↓
Mammal Species
Bird Species
Reptile Species
Amphibian Species
Plant Species
Additional Megadiversity Details
Brazil 7121,90075197843,893
  • Contains 20% of the planet’s freshwater, home to the largest wetland, woodlands.
  • Endemic animals include Ashy Black Titi Monkey, the Brazil-nut Poison Frog, and the Apoclada Bamboo Plant.
China 5811,244376284
  • 667 endemic vertebrate species, including Giant pandas, South China tigers.
Mexico 5361,05470429025,000
  • Home to second-largest number of ecosystems, over 30% endemic mammals.
  • Native wildlife includes the Cozumel Thrasher, Alamos Mud Turtle and the Chinanteco Deer Mouse.
Indonesia 5151,59278127025,000
  • Second-highest number of bird species, home to endemic species like Proboscis Monkey.
Peru 5001,80030038013,000
  • Native animals include Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey.
Colombia 4561,800456
  • Almost 10% of global biodiversity, second for most plant and amphibian species.
  • Endemic birds include Tolima Dove, Chestnut-winged Chachalaca and Sooty-capped Puffbird.
United States 43280031129517,000
  • Endemic animals include Channel Islands Spotted Skunk.
India 4101,250408197
  • Endemic animals include the Nicobar Tree Shrew, Black-footed Gray Langur, Malabar Civet and Jungle Striped Squirrel.
  • Home to two bio-diverse hotspots: Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats.
  • One of the most megadiverse nations in the world.
Philippines 6122701119,250
  • 33% of plants are endemic, includes 194 endemic bird species.
DR Congo 4002802163,000
  • Home to half of African freshwater, okapi and pygmy chimpanzee (Bonobo) endemic.
  • 900 species of butterfly.
Australia 378828300140700,000
  • First in the world for endemic species, such as kangaroos, koalas, and dingos.
  • 600,000-700,000 different plants and animals.
Ecuador 369523944154,173
  • Native creatures include the Tanti Rocket Frog, the Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat, and the El Oro Parakeet.
  • The Galapagos Islands are within Ecuador’s borders.
Venezuela 3511,41734131521,000
  • Approximately 38% of plant species are endemic, Native creatures include the Sira Poison Frog, Sucre Spiny Rat, and Fiery Squirrel.
South Africa 299858110
  • Native creatures include long-nosed Golden Mole and Riverine Rabbit.
Madagascar 22028238927813,700
  • Most plant species endemic, including the Cuckoo-roller and Fossa.
Malaysia 21062025015014,500
  • Native animals include Leonard’s Pipe snake and Woolly-Stalked Begonia.
Papua New Guinea 730300320
  • Third largest rainforest, endemic species like carnivorous mice, tree-climbing kangaroos, and giant rats.
  • Data indicate the number of known species with sustainable wild populations present in a given country circa 2022.
  • Current totals may have shifted as a result of new species being discovered and/or existing species dying out.

Megadiverse countries have high levels of biodiversity, meaning that they have many different types of plant life and animal life. The most megadiverse country in the world is Brazil due mainly to the presence of the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon has the most diverse plant and animal life on the planet, with many different life forms not being present anywhere else on earth. Some estimates place the number of different types of plants and animals in the Amazon at over four million!

Behind Brazil is the nearby country of Colombia, which has 300,000 different invertebrates (animals that have a backbone). It has 20% of all of the different types of plants found in the world, along with 2000 different types of fish, 1900 types of birds, and 7000 types of beetles.

Following Colombia is the United States, whose diversity can be attributed mostly to its immense size, which encompasses many different biomes (tundra, desert, forest, et cetera). It has 428 different types of mammals and 784 different types of birds, along with hundreds of reptiles and amphibians. There are also nearly 100,000 different types of insects that have been recognized in the United States.

For more biodiversity, move from the Western Hemisphere to the tip of Africa, where the country of South Africa also has a high level of biodiversity. Scientists know of South Africa having 22,000 different types of plants or nearly 10% of the plant species on earth.

Next are some islands in the Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. The Philippines are home to an extensive rainforest that is smaller and less diverse than the Amazon but still impressive in its biodiversity. In just the past decade, 16 new species of mammals have been discovered in the Philippines. In terms of percentages, Papua New Guinea comprises less than one percent of the earth’s land, yet it hosts five percent of the world’s different forms of plant and animal life. Its biodiversity is a confluence of the neighboring countries of Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia.

Other megadiverse countries include Malaysia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, India, and Madagascar. While biodiversity allows life on earth to thrive, we need to be aware of how human activity has harmed many types of plants and animal life on the planet. Burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests are causing many species to go extinct.