--- title: "World Bee Atlas — Bee Species by Country | HoneyBee & Co." date: 2026-07-18 published: 2026-05-12 author: "Dragos Nistor" --- # World Bee Atlas — Bee Species by Country | HoneyBee & Co. ## World Bee Atlas — Bee Species by Country | HoneyBee & Co. A Field Guide · HoneyBee & Co. ## World Bee *Atlas* Native Bees by Country · Peer-Reviewed Data 75Countries ~25,000Species Worldwide 229Species Guides By Country By Species Sort: Most SpeciesSort: A-Z Showing 0 countries Showing 0 species Global Bee Diversity ## How Many Bee Species Exist Worldwide? --- Current research estimates between **24,700 and 26,200 bee species worldwide**, of which roughly 21,000 have been formally described by taxonomists. The 2026 study by Dorey et al. in *Nature Communications* revised the long-standing estimate of ~20,000 species upward, noting that significant undescribed diversity remains in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Bees belong to **seven recognised families**: Apidae (honeybees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, stingless bees, orchid bees), Megachilidae (mason and leafcutter bees), Halictidae (sweat and furrow bees), Colletidae (plasterer and yellow-faced bees), Andrenidae (mining bees), Melittidae (oil-collecting bees), and Stenotritidae (an ancient family of 21 species found only in Australia). ~25,000Species worldwide 7Bee families 75Countries mapped ## Which Countries Have the Most Bee Species? --- **Brazil** leads with approximately 3,500 documented species, followed by the **United States** with around 3,600 and **Mexico** with 2,000. In Europe, **Spain** (1,100), **Turkey** (1,050), and **France** (1,000) are the most species-rich. **South Africa** holds the highest diversity on the African continent with around 1,500 species, including the endemic oil-collecting *Rediviva* genus. The **United Kingdom** records [around 270 species](/uk-bee-distribution/), making it modestly diverse by European standards but ecologically significant. Yorkshire’s heather moorland, where our [British Heather Honey](/heather-honey/) is harvested, supports specialist bees like the [Heather Colletes](/heather-colletes/) that depend on a single plant genus for all their pollen. ## Remarkable Bee Species Around the World --- The world’s **largest bee** is [Wallace’s Giant Bee](/wallaces-giant-bee/) (*Megachile pluto*), with a wingspan of 63mm, found only on three islands in the North Moluccas of Indonesia. The **smallest** is *Perdita minima*, a desert bee from the southwestern United States measuring just 2mm. The world’s **largest bumblebee** is *Bombus dahlbomii* of southern Argentina and Chile, now endangered by the introduction of European *Bombus terrestris*. Some of the most extraordinary bee behaviours include the petal-wrapping nests of *Osmia avosetta* in the Middle East, the extreme leg elongation of *Rediviva emdeorum* in South Africa (evolved to reach oil glands deep inside flowers), and the defensive heat-balling of *Apis cerana* in Japan, where workers collectively raise their body temperature to cook invading hornets alive. ## Why HoneyBee & Co. Built This Atlas --- Our [six-generation beekeeping family](/about/) works with bees every day. Understanding global bee diversity helps us appreciate the tiny fraction of the world’s bees that produce the honey in our jars, and the vast majority of species that pollinate silently without ever making a drop of honey. This atlas is part of our [Bee Education Hub](/bees/), alongside the [UK Bee Distribution Map](/uk-bee-distribution/) and [Your Plate Without Bees](/plate-without-bees/). If you would like to support pollinator-friendly beekeeping, [browse our raw honey range](/shop/) or [subscribe and save 20%](/honey-subscription/). From Hive to Table ### Taste What These Bees Make Possible Six single-origin raw honeys from Transylvania and the British countryside. Every jar traceable to its origin. [Shop Raw Honey](/shop/) [Subscribe & Save 20%](/honey-subscription/)### Fact-Check Sources **Global species total:** Dorey et al. (2026) “Estimating global bee species richness and taxonomic gaps”, Nature Communications 17:1762. Estimates 24,705 to 26,164 total species globally (~21,000 currently described). **United Kingdom (270 species):** UK National Bee Unit Fact Sheet (October 2024) and BWARS. Also corroborated by House of Commons Library Research Briefing CDP-2017-0226 (updated January 2026). **United States (3,600+ species):** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. **Australia (~2,000 species):** Australian Geographic (Feb 2026) and Dorey et al. (2026). **Megachile pluto:** Confirmed as largest known living bee species. Distribution restricted to three islands in North Moluccas, Indonesia (Bacan, Halmahera, Tidore). **Seven bee families:** Apidae, Megachilidae, Halictidae, Colletidae, Melittidae, Andrenidae, Stenotritidae. **Country-level species counts:** Sourced from Ascher & Pickering Discover Life World Bee Checklist, Orr et al. (2020) “Global Patterns and Drivers of Bee Distribution” (Current Biology), and individual national entomological surveys. Many country counts are approximations due to incomplete sampling. 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