Estimated species richness data for valuation of biodiversity across the UK, based on species occurrence records for 11 taxonomic groups (Bees, Birds, Bryophytes, Butterflies, Carabidae, Hoverflies, Isopoda, Ladybirds, Moths, Orthoptera and Vascular plants). UK species occurrence data were collated from the Biological Records Centre (BRC) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Estimated species richness was calculated across all taxonomic groups for two time periods: 1970-1990 and 2000-2013. The dataset was used to create the 'UK ecological status map version 2'.