Current Status of Sea Turtles Around the World

State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) 2025 Annual Report

SWOT recently published a Special 20^th Anniversary Edition of their annual report titled “Atlas of Global Sea Turtle Status 2025.” This edition includes a high-level overview of the global status of each species of sea turtle and assessments of sea turtle populations in several ocean regions around the world. Use the links below to read more about each region:

• Western Pacific Ocean
• East and Central Pacific Ocean
• North Atlantic Ocean
• South Atlantic Ocean
• West Indian Ocean
• East Indian Ocean and SE Asia

Global Status Summary

The table below is a brief summary of SWOT’s global risk and threat assessments for several species of sea turtles. Use this link to see SWOT’s color-coded map of their assessments: “Global Status of Sea Turtles by Species.” Please note, risk assessments measure the risk to the abundance of a species, rookery vulnerability, and genetic diversity. Threat impacts include fisheries bycatch, take (i.e., direct harvest of turtles and eggs), coastal development, pollution, and climate change.

Species	Risk Assessment	Threat Assessment	Additional Details
Green	Low	Low	Greatest threat is fisheries bycatch.
Hawksbill	Moderate	Low	Key threats are climate change and take.
Kemp’s Ridley	High	Low	Main threats are fisheries bycatch and coastal development.
Leatherback	High	Moderate	Most significant threat is fisheries bycatch, followed by coastal development.
Loggerhead	Moderate	Low	Most significant threat is fisheries bycatch.
Olive Ridley	Low	Moderate	Primary threat is fisheries bycatch; secondary threats are coastal development and pollution.

North Atlantic Ocean Summary

How are sea turtles doing in our part of the world? Luckily, in the North Atlantic, many long-term conservation efforts have resulted in “some of the least threatened and least vulnerable populations in the world” (see “The State of Sea Turtles in the North Atlantic Ocean”). The success of sea turtles in our region is credited to several factors including national laws and international accords, stranding networks, conservation efforts by non-profits and local communities, and international collaboration.

However, some issues still remain such as the recent decline of the Northwest Atlantic leatherback, high rates of fisheries bycatch in some areas (e.g., Caribbean), and loss of habitat due to coastal development, oil and gas production, pollution, runoff, and climate change. Therefore, continued efforts are required to mitigate all of these threats in the future.

Learn More

Want to learn more about sea turtles? Check out SWOT’s “Ultimate Expert Guide” and their list of ways you can help.

• SWOT: “Sea Turtles: The Ultimate Expert Guide”
• SWOT: “How Can You Help Sea Turtles?”

Sources:

• SWOT: “Atlas of Global Sea Turtle Status 2025”
• SWOT: “Global Status of Sea Turtles by Species”
• SWOT: “The State of Sea Turtles in the North Atlantic Ocean”