Abstract: Aims The IUCN Red List provides basis to biodiversity conservation designation. The Red List Index (RLI) derived from the results of Red List assessment is an indicator for the status of species and specific taxonomic groups at global, national, regional scales. Based on the IUCN global assessment data, this study aims to analyze the RLI of Chinese higher plants. Methods The RLI can be calculated based on either national or global assessment data. Chinese Red List Index based on national assessment data (nRLI) for higher plants has been reported. Following the IUCN assessment framework, through the partition of species Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of China and the rest of the world, this study calculated Chinese higher plant Red List Index based on global assessment data (gRLI). And then compared Chinese higher plant gRLI with the results from the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP), which relied only on a representative subset of Cycads to calculate a nation’s gRLI. Important findings The Chinese higher plant gRLI, with equal steps method, is 0.9467, 0.9082, and 0.5401 for the source data of IUCN assessments, IUCN and Chinese endemic species assessments, and solely Cycas, respectively. The BIP approach underestimates Chinese gRLI for higher plants, suggesting taxonomical bias. This highlights the importance of utilizing as much reliable data as possible for a more precise result of gRLI. By calculating Chinese higher plant gRLI which is comparable to that of other countries, this study provides essential baseline data to support China's international commitments and conservation efforts for various international conventions about biodiversity.

Key words: Biodiversity, Red List Index based on national assessment data (nRLI), Red List Index based on global assessment data (gRLI), Species range size, Extent of Occurrence (EOO), Endemic species