A new analysis indicates that as many as two million insect species face extinction, a figure that doubles previous United Nations estimates. The findings are reported in Plos One.
Lead researcher Axel Hochkirch from the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg notes that insects are threatened at a level comparable to other animal groups. He emphasizes that because insects comprise the planet’s most diverse animal assemblage, this threat impacts global biodiversity in profound ways and demands urgent action.
Tracking global insect populations has been difficult due to gaps in data, yet invertebrates account for about 97% of animal life on Earth. Roughly 90% of these invertebrates are insects. They underpin essential ecosystem services, including crop pollination, soil nutrient recycling, and waste decomposition. Hochkirch stresses that the collapse of insect populations could undermine the stability of ecosystems and human livelihoods.
The research team reviewed European species listed in the Red Book, widely used as a comprehensive inventory of threatened species. They found that roughly a quarter of European invertebrates are at risk of extinction, highlighting regional vulnerability within the broader global trend.
Pollination and soil health are critical for food security. Many crops rely on pollinators, and a large share of food production depends on soil biodiversity to maintain fertility. It is estimated that about 75% of crops benefit from pollination to some degree, while 95% of food originates directly or indirectly from soil processes, in which invertebrates play a central role.
Pollinators also support water quality by helping sustain plant communities that filter pollutants. Healthy mangrove ecosystems, for instance, filter pollutants, process wastewater, and help form sediments. Global mangrove cover has fallen by roughly 35% since the late 1990s, reflecting broader ecosystem stress in coastal areas.
Across soils, drought and heat stress are increasingly affecting insect life. Warmer conditions disrupt life cycles and reduce soil biodiversity, threatening the more than half of all species that reside in soil habitats.
Additionally, the report underscores the indirect consequences of changing climates on insect communities, which can ripple through food webs and ecosystem services essential to human well-being.
In a related observation, a longstanding, localized internet disruption in a German village was linked to unusual insect activity, underscoring how even small ecological shifts can appear in everyday life.