ABUNDANCE
SWITZERLAND
The last estimate of the Swiss wildcat population by Wildtier Schweiz on behalf of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) resulted in approx. 1,100 individuals for the year 2020 (DE, FR). In our wildcat project, we estimated a density of 26 (17–36) individuals per 100 km² suitable habitat in the northern Jura mountains.
EUROPE
So far, there are only scattered and relatively broad estimates on population abundances of European wildcats. The estimates and information used for the IUCN Red List assessment in 2022 are presented in the table below. Additionally, there are some density estimates from different countries and regions. Those are presented in the Supplementary Information to the assessment.
The distribution of the European wildcat is split into different metapopulations. To provide a rough abundance estimate, a moderate density of 10 individuals per 100 km² was applied to the relative extent of the metapopulation. The resulting estimate is also presented in the table below. Using this method, the total population was estimated at around 140,000 individuals.
| Country | Estimate |
| Albania | <400 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | >2,000 |
| Bulgaria | 1,610–4,375 |
| Croatia | 2,216–2,683 |
| Germany | 5,000–10,000 |
| Romania | 8,005–9,150 |
| Spain (only Andalusia) | 794–926 |
| Metapopulation | Estimate (10 ind. / 100 km²) |
| Western-Central Europe | 25,600 |
| Eastern-Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe | 71,800 |
| Iberian Peninsula | 8,100 |
| Apennine Peninsula and Sicily | 8,900 |
| Turkey and Caucasus | 27,900 |