This species occurs in South Asia from parts of eastern Pakistan through much of India (excluding northeastern portions of the country) south of the Himalayas, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (CITES 2000; Schlitter 2005). There have been dubious records in Myanmar (sources quoted in Allen 1938) and southern China (Yunnan) which almost certainly refer to Manis javanica (WCMC et al. 1999).

In Bangladesh, this species was historically found throughout the country, excluding the coastal parts of Khulna, Barisal, Pauakhali, Noakhali and Chittagong Districts. The species is presumed extinct in Kushtia, Jessore, Pabna, Bogra, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, and most parts of Dhaka and Comilla (Khan 1985).

In India, this species is widely distributed from the plains and lower hills south of the Himalayas to extreme southern India (Tikader 1983). There have been recent records from Kerala and Kanyakumari; Tamil Naidu; Delhi; Gwalior and Achanakur Wildlife Sanctuaries (Madhya Pradesh); Bandipur, Bhadra, Dalma and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuaries; Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka); Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal); Catugao Wildlife Sanctuary (Goa); Chambal National Park (Madhya Pradesh); Gir National Park (Gujarat); Keolodeo Ghana Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan); Kotgarh and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Sunabedh Plateau (Orissa); Singalila Wildlife Sanctuary (West Bengal); Achanakuar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh); and the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh (CITES 2000).

This species is very locally distributed in Pakistan, where it has been recorded in Sialkot, Jhelum and Gujrat Districts in the northwest of the Punjab, extending across the Salt Range into Kohat District, and from Campbellpur District up to Mardan and Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province (Roberts 1977; CITES 2000). It was found in the Potwar Range upwards into the Rawalpindi foothills (up to 750 m asl). Further south, the species appears to be absent from the Indus River floodplain, however, there are records from the right bank of the Indus in the hilly regions in the western part of the Dadu and Larkana deserts (Baluchistan) and extended southward through Las Bela and Mekran. It also occurs east of the Indus in Hyderabad district and Tharparkar, extending eastwards to Kutch (Roberts 1977; CITES 2000). The species was described in 1986 as rare (CITES 2000).

In Sri Lanka, this species is locally found throughout the lowlands, up to 1,100 m asl in hill regions, coinciding with the range of termites (Phillips 1981; WCMC et al. 1999).