Scorpions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss and degradation, which are caused by agriculture, mining, and urbanization and exacerbated by climate change. Overharvesting for venom commerce and the exotic pet trade also puts scorpions at risk. Scorpion venom, valued at up to US$10 million/liter, has attracted interest from pharmaceutical companies and amateur harvesters, fueling a surge in illegal "venom milking" farms. About 350 scorpion species are sold in the exotic pet trade. Despite these threats, only five scorpion species are listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and, until 2024, the conservation status of only three species (Afrolychas braueri, Chiromachus ochropus, and Isometrus deharvengi) had been assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Twenty-six species were added to the IUCN Red List in 2025, mostly rated Least Concern, but those species account for less than 1% of known scorpion diversity. Furthermore, national red lists are not directly recognized by the IUCN, hindering assessments of the actual number of threatened species globally.