NTCA data shows that 166 tigers died in India in 2025, 40 more than the 126 deaths in 2024. It is the highest yearly toll since Project Tiger started in 1973. Madhya Pradesh had the most deaths (55), followed by Maharashtra (38), Kerala (13) and Assam (12), and 31 of those who died were cubs. Experts link the rise to territorial fights as tiger numbers grow in limited space. India still has about 75% of the world's wild tigers, 3,682 in the 2022 count.