Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species

Every fall, millions of the butterflies travel nearly 3,000 miles from Canada, across the US and finally to western Mexico. Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP

The population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction.

The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018.