Greater Hog Badger is active throughout the day and night (despite past statements that the genus is nocturnal), ground-dwelling, and not very wary of people (e.g., Pocock 1941, Duckworth et al. 1999, Helgen et al. 2008, Than Zaw et al. 2008, Johnson et al. 2009, Holden and Neang 2009, Coudrat et al. 2014, Gray et al. 2014b).

Greater Hog Badger occurs down to the extreme lowlands (e.g. Bottom-Soaker National Park, Cambodia, and Kaziranga NP, Assam, India; Royan 2010, Choudhury 2013) up into the montane zone. The genus has been found up to 3,500 m, but Helgen et al. (2008) traced no record of this species above the relatively modest altitude of 1,500 m. Similarly, and based largely on different sets of records, the highest-altitude records traced for various countries are, Vietnam, 950 m (Roberton 2007); Cambodia, 1,200 m (Holden and Neang 2009); Myanmar, 1,500 m (Than Zaw et al. 2008); and Thailand, 1,016 m (Chutipong et al. 2014) . However, as cautioned by Than Zaw et al. (2008), relevant survey effort above 1,500 m has been relatively limited in Myanmar and this is generally true throughout this species's range. Thus, the typical upper altitudinal limit may be found to be somewhat, even considerably, higher, as supported by records in Lao PDR up to nearly 2,300 m (Johnson et al. 2009). Choudhury (2013) recorded the genus up to 2,000 m in India, but suggested that the higher-altitude records would be of A. albogularis.

This species occurs across a wide variety of habitats, from heavy forest (both deciduous and evergreen) to the non-forested 'countryside' in at least North-east India; this includes grassland-dominated floodplains such as Kaziranga NP in Assam (Choudhury 2013), where it is one of the most frequently camera-trapped small carnivores (D. Mudappa pers. comm. 2014). There are also records in Bangladesh (assumed to be this species) from tea-gardens and other non-forest habitats (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). In South-east Asia most records come from forests. The extent of actual and potential occupation of non-forest habitats is unknown: concerted survey in them is rare and off-take of mammals of this size is heavy in much of this species's range. Thus, it is possible that they would occur widely in non-forest parts of South-east Asia but are currently excluded by hunting levels.

The diet is poorly known, but Helgen et al. (2008) speculated that it might be partly to strongly vermivorous. This was based on morphological attributes more than on direct dietary information. A strong dependence on worms would neatly explain the pattern of current habitat use in Lao PDR (see 'population') - widespread and still locally common in montane areas but nearly or effectively extirpated from the plains. The country's plains have a harsh dry season, when the ground even within semi-evergreen forest (true evergreen forest is highly localised in the country's lowlands) bakes hard. Finding large numbers of worms under such conditions is presumably difficult and highly demanding of energy. By contrast, in the mountains, forest soil remains damper through the dry season, as a result of cooler temperatures, the sometimes frequent mists and cloud, and the fuller shading of true evergreen forest. Thus, in regions with a harsh dry season, it is reasonable to suppose higher population densities in hills and mountains than in plains and low hills, and a higher resilience to hunting. Such seasonality occurs almost across the species's range excepting most of Vietnam, the Thai-Malay peninsula and locally around massifs large enough to generate their own precipitation. Nonetheless, the species does occur in plains regions of Cambodia and Thailand with dry seasons as or more harsh than in Lao PDR; these areas have somewhat to much lower hunting pressure.

Greater Hog Badger occurs from Bangladesh and North-east India east through Myanmar, Thailand and Lao PDR to Vietnam and south to Cambodia and peninsula Thailand; it probably also inhabits Yunnan province, China. Inconclusive reports from the state of Perak, northernmost peninsular Malaysia, have never been confirmed (Helgen et al. 2008). 

The range in Bangladesh and North-east India is provisional. Because Helgen et al. (2008) traced only a few hog badger records from this area that could be assigned to species, both mainland hog badger species might occur in this area: so the many recent records simply identified as 'hog badger' should not, at this stage, be identified to species on any presumption of range or habitat. In North-east India the genus is well distributed all over, with most records taken to be this species including animals observed in Manas NP, north(west) of the Brahmaputra (Choudhury 2013). This contests the proposal of Helgen et al. (2008) that said drainage forms the species's (north)west range boundary.

In Bangladesh, the genus occurs widely, with records from the South-east (Chittagong and Cox's Bazar district and Chittagong Hill Tracts), Dudhpukuria-Dhopacharia Wildlife Sanctuary (Feeroz et al. 2012), Chunoti Wildlife Sanctuary, Fasiakhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Chittagong University campus (outside the city and middle of hills), and from the North-east (Sylhet division; Moulovibazar and Habigonj districts), adjacent to Lawachara National Park (all records per Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). These records are likely all to relate to this species, although objective confirmation is desirable.

Almost all hog badger specimens examined by Helgen et al. (2008) from China were judged to be A. albogularis, but two specimens from Lichiang, Yunnan, were "provisionally" assigned to Greater Hog Badger.

Than Zaw et al. (2008) traced recent hog badger records (all assumed here to be Greater Hog Badger; however A. albogularis might yet be found to occur in the far north) widely across north and central Myanmar south to about 20°N, and historical records south to about 16°30′N; survey effort was insufficient for the lack of modern records in the southern known range to be taken to suggest recent extirpation.

Surveys in 21 areas spread across Thailand found hog badger (all assumed here to be Greater Hog Badger) to be the third most widely camera-trapped small carnivore. The southernmost recent records in the country are from Tai Rom Yen National Park (8°40′N). There are historical records from further south in Thailand, but recent camera-trap survey effort south of Tai Rom Yen NP was rather limited except for in one area right on the Malaysia border (Chutipong et al. 2014). 

Records in Lao PDR (all assumed here to be Greater Hog Badger) come from a wide spread of localities in the North, Centre and South. Occurrence seems to be patchy, with no recent records from the Mekong plain, which covers most of the western part of the southern half of the country (e.g., Duckworth 1997, Duckworth et al. 1999, Johnson et al. 2009, Coudrat et al. 2014, Gray et al. 2014b). 

Roberton (2007) traced confirmed field records for the genus, all assumed to be Greater Hog Badger, from most of Viet Nam, occurrence was patchy and no records were found for the Mekong Delta. The current distribution in Viet Nam is likely to be highly fragmented. A recent review of small carnivore camera-trap records failed to produce any records additional to those in Roberton (2007), despite several surveys within suitable habitat, and within some of the country's largest protected areas (Willcox et al. 2014: Table SOM3). As of mid 2014, only two camera-trap records were known for the entire country (D.H.A. Willcox pers. comm. 2014), from Pu Mat Nature Reserve (SFNC 2000) and Pu Luong NR (Do Ngoc Cuong 2004). The species has subsequently been camera-trapped in Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum province (Nguyen T. pers. comm. 2014).  

Although there were few historical Cambodian records, camera-trapping has recently found it at various sites spread almost throughout the country (e.g. Holden and Neang 2009, Royan 2010, Gray et al. 2014a), including Preah Vihear Protected Forest and Seima Protected Forest (WCS Cambodia unpublished data per D.H.A. Willcox pers. comm. 2014). 

It has been recorded from sea-level to at least 2,300 m (see 'Habitat and ecology' section).

Throughout its range, Greater Hog Badger is found in a number of protected areas, perhaps particularly in Myanmar, India and Thailand (Than Zaw et al. 2008, Choudhury 2013, Chutipong et al. 2014). This species is protected by law in Thailand (Chutipong et al. 2014), in Bangladesh (as a Schedule 1 species) under the Wildlife Act 2012 (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014), and in India, under the highest level of protection (Choudhury 2013). This species is not protected in Viet Nam or Cambodia and is the largest-bodied unprotected mammal, except for Eurasian Wild Hog Sus scrofa, in Myanmar (Than Zaw et al. 2008). The China Red List has listed hog badgers (as a monospecific genus, under this species's name) as Vulnerable under C1 and A2c.