Here's why:
* He's collected badges across different regions: Ash has traveled through different regions (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar) and earned badges in each.
* Some badges are specific to a region: Some badges are unique to a specific region and don't transfer to others.
* He has been reset: At the start of new series, Ash typically starts with a fresh slate of badges, resetting his count.
Therefore, it's more accurate to say Ash has collected a significant number of badges across his journeys, rather than providing a specific number.
If you'd like to know the number of badges he earned in a specific region, let me know!