How many species have been identified on Earth?

~8.7 million estimated, ~2 million named

Biology

A 2011 estimate put the number of eukaryotic species on Earth at about 8.7 million, give or take 1.3 million. The Catalogue of Life listed about 2.0 million living species as described by the end of 2024. Around 15,000 to 20,000 new species are named each year, so describing the rest would take centuries at the current pace.