stimates on the total number of insect species, or those within specific orders, often vary

considerably. Globally, averages of these estimates suggest there are around 1.5 million beetle
species and 5.5 million insect species, with about 1 million insect species currently found and
described.[45]
Between 950,000–1,000,000 of all described species are insects, so over 50% of all described
eukaryotes (1.8 million) are insects (see illustration). With only 950,000 known non-insects, if the
actual number of insects is 5.5 million, they may represent over 80% of the total. As only about
20,000 new species of all organisms are described each year, most insect species may remain
undescribed, unless the rate of species descriptions greatly increases. Of the 24 orders of insects,
four dominate in terms of numbers of described species; at least 670,000 identified species belong
to Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera or Lepidoptera.

Insects with population trends documented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, for
orders Collembola, Hymenoptera,  Lepidoptera,  Odonata, and Orthoptera. Of 203 insect species that had such
documented population trends in 2013, 33% were in decline.[46]
As of 2017, at least 66 insect species extinctions had been recorded in the previous 500 years,
which generally occurred on oceanic islands.[47] Declines in insect abundance have been attributed to
artificial lighting,[48] land use changes such as urbanization or agricultural use, [49][50] pesticide use,
[51]
 and invasive species.[52] Studies summarized in a 2019 review suggested a large proportion of
insect species are threatened with extinction in the 21st century. [53] Though ecologist Manu Sanders
notes the 2019 review was biased by mostly excluding data showing increases or stability in insect
population, with the studies limited to specific geographic areas and specific groups of species. [54] A
larger meta-study published in 2020, analyzing data from 166 long-term surveys, suggested that
populations of terrestrial insects are decreasing by about 9% per decade. [55][56] Claims of pending
mass insect extinctions or "insect apocalypse" based on a subset of these studies have been
popularized in news reports, but often extrapolate beyond the study data or hyperbolize study
findings.[57] Other areas have shown increa