Schmidtler (1997) raised the subspecies budaki, chernovi, and rueppellii to full species status, thus restricting Ablepharus kitaibelii to southeastern Europe and west and central Turkey. Poulakakis et al. (2005) showed that A. kitaibelii is not monophyletic, and that the population on the Kastelorizo Island group (Greece, off the Lycian coast of southwestern Türkiye) is particularly distinct and deserves specific status. The remaining populations of A. kitaibelii consist of two clades, one comprising the populations inhabiting continental Greece and the west Aegean (Cyclades and Kithira) and Ionian (Leukada) islands, and the other comprising populations that inhabit the East Aegean islands and Türkiye.

European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

This species is a near-endemic to southeastern Europe, inly extending out of the region to western Türkiye. The species is assessed as Least Concern for Europe and the EU 27 Member States in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

This species is a near-endemic to southeastern Europe, where it ranges from northeast Croatia (from which it is known from only three localities; Szövényi and Jelić 2011) through Serbia, east Montenegro and south Romania to Greece, with isolates in Hungary and southern Slovakia (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It occurs on many Greek islands, although records from Kastellorizo probably represent the related Snake-eyed Skink Ablepharus budaki (Speybroeck et al. 2016). Records from the Aegean islands Astypalea and Tilos are assumed to represent introductions: the former is a single record taken in the vicinity of the most developed village on the island (Grano and Cattaneo 2019). There is a single record from eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sofradžija 1978) and it was recorded from Montenegro for the first time by Vergilov et al. (2016). It is most common in lowland areas, but reaches 1,800 m asl (Speybroeck et al. 2016).

Outside the European region, the species occurs in western Türkiye (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It has been reported up to 2,000 m asl in this country.

It is generally a common species, but it is notably rarer with a fragmentary distribution at the edges of its range (Vergilov et al. 2016). Speybroeck et al. (2016) describe it as "often overlooked, but not very rare" in most of its range.

At its western range limit, in the Papuk area of Croatia, an estimated population size of 5,036 and 5,483 individuals has been extrapolated from a density of 97 individuals / ha (Glavaš et al. 2022). Population viability analysis suggests the species is in decline at this site, with extinction likely within a hundred years (Glavaš et al. 2022).

This species is found in dry areas including south facing slopes, meadows, scrubland and clearings in woodland (both deciduous and pine). It is generally found close to ground cover such as leaf litter, dead wood, stones, bushes and other vegetation. Its primary habitats are considered to be grasslands surrounded by woodland or ecotonal vegetation, and it relies on loose soils or ground debris such as leaf litter for oviposition (Kenyeres et al. 2021). These authors investigated the skink's microhabitat preferences at its northern range limit in Hungary, where it was found mainly on plateau grasslands with patches of shrub forest. It exhibited a preference for areas of warm, closed grassland with south-facing slopes and patches of shrubby vegetation that support high densities of its arthropod prey (Kenyeres et al. 2021). The female lays a clutch of two to four eggs.

Overall, there appear to be no major threats to this species in the core part of its range, which in Europe encompasses most of the Balkans. It is nevertheless known from highly restricted areas in a number of European range states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, North Macedonia), summarised by Vergilov et al. (2016). In marginal parts of its European range the species is threatened by afforestation, deforestation and conversion of suitable habitat to agricultural, forestry or industrial use (Gasc 1997, CoE, 2003). Kenyeres et al. (2021) found that the species is reliant on a mosaic of microhabitat features, and so at least in the studied part of the range is likely to be highly sensitive to impacts that disturb any of its three key requirements: exposed south-facing slopes, shrubby vegetation, and plateau grassland. Threats they identified to this habitat in Hungary exist from erosion due to illegal recreational off-road vehicles and soil compaction due to trampling by an increasing mouflon population. In Mátra mts. positioning of game feeders are often affecting the species negatively as hunters favour open places, which are usually habitats of the species (Harmos and Magos 2021). Additionally, its preferred habitat is likely to buffer it against the impacts of climate change and so degradation will increase its exposure to potentially negative climate impacts (Kenyeres et al. 2021). Animals have been found caught and killed in sticky traps set for insect pests in olive groves (Christopoulos and Pafilis 2021).

There is no known use of or trade in this species.

This species is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention, and on Annex IV of the European Union Habitats Directive. It occurs in a number of protected areas. On national Red Lists it is listed as Endangered in Croatia, Data Deficient in the Bosnian Federation, and Near Threatened in Macedonia and Albania (Albania - Anonymous 2013). Translocation and habitat restoration has taken place in the Papuk locality in 2013-2014, and the presence of a reproducing subpopulation has since been confirmed from both of the translocated sites (Glavaš et al. 2022).

The national assessment in Hungary evaluated the species as Vulnerable (VU) due to fragmented subpopulations, unfavourable management of remaining habitats, and climatic scenarios potentially affecting the species negatively (Halpern et al. 2019). The species is listed as strictly protected. In the Mátra Mountains, conservation efforts reached success by fencing important habitats from game species (K. Harmos pers. comm. 2022).