By 1976, its global range had decreased to only 2% of its historical range, and fewer than 200 gharials were estimated to survive. Since the early 1980s, the population has been reinforced with captive-bred gharials that were released into wild habitats in India and Nepal. In 2017, the global population was estimated to comprise at maximum 900 individuals, including about 600 mature adults in six major subpopulations along of river courses and another 50 mature adults in eight minor subpopulations along of river courses.