The most recent estimates suggest that, although other subspecies are much more numerous, there are <7000 Tibetan argali left in the wild (Shackleton, 1997; Schaller, 1998).Within India there are only 200 argali remaining, mostly in Ladakh and a few in Sikkim (Fox & Johnsingh, 1997). As per the census carried out by Ministry of Nature and Environment, Mangolia in 2001, there are 13, 000 to 15, 000 Argali of all species.

No estimates of the number of argali in Nepal exist; it is likely to be a small number (Shrestha et al 2005 in Harris, R.B. & Reading, and R. 2008). Tibetan argali (O. a. hodgsoni) have in the past been reported to occur in several sites of northern Nepal and Bhutan where they are apparently absent today (Fox and Manandhar 1994, Schaller 1998 in Singh 2008). The only extant argali population reported in Nepal occurs in the northeast Mustang region, where a population of 77 individuals has been reported from the Damodarkund area (Chetri and Pokharel 2005 in Singh 2008).