What Animal Lives Where

Where has the Nile tilapia been recorded?

Oreochromis niloticus occurrence evidence comes from 1,236 records in 53 countries and territories, from 1925 to 2026. Most records come from Tanzania.

PerciformesCichlidaeOreochromis

Observation evidence passport

Evidence found

1,236 records across 53 countries and territories, 1925–2026.

Oreochromis niloticus · GBIF taxon key 4285694

Source coverage

CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.

Refreshed 2026-09-22. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.

What this means

The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: July.

12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.

What this does not mean

repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.

A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.

Compare this animal’s observation pattern

When it is recorded

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: July. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.

Records over time

19252026

Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.

Where Nile tilapia has been recorded

The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for Nile tilapia. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.

PlaceRecordsShare
Tanzania 509
United States 238
Kenya 135
Colombia 48
Benin 39
Mexico 29
Uganda 27
Central African Republic 25
Brazil 18
South Africa 16
Thailand 12
Dominican Republic 11
Ethiopia 10
Rwanda 9
Chad 9
Egypt 8
India 8
Nigeria 8
Honduras 5
Ghana 4
Indonesia 4
South Korea 4
Taiwan 4
Vietnam 4
DR Congo 3
Cameroon 3
Costa Rica 3
Israel 3
Cambodia 3
Malaysia 3
Burundi 2
Hong Kong 2
Italy 2
Mozambique 2
Niger 2
Poland 2
Puerto Rico 2
Singapore 2
Slovenia 2
Argentina 1

Showing the top 40 of 53 places.

Related animals

Others in the family Cichlidae.

Redbelly Tilapia
Redbelly Tilapia
715 records
blackchin mouthbreeder
blackchin mouthbreeder
530 records
Giant Cichlid
Giant Cichlid
4 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.