Editing Shark attack (section)

== Statistics ==
[[File:Total shark attacks per year, OWID.svg|thumb|upright=2|Total shark attacks per year, 1749 to 2018<ref>{{cite web |title=Total shark attacks per year |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/total-shark-attacks-per-year |website=Our World in Data}}</ref>]]

According to the [[International Shark Attack File]] (ISAF), between 1958 and 2016 there were 2,785 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks around the world, of which 439 were fatal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/World.htm |title=World's Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks |date=25 August 2015 |publisher=International Shark Attack File |access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2010, an average of 4.3 people per year died from shark attacks.<ref name="auto" />

In 2000, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 11 of them fatal.<ref name="attack2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/statistics/statsw.htm |title=ISAF Statistics for the Top Ten Worldwide Locations with the Highest Shark Attack Activity (1999–2009) |publisher=[[Florida Museum of Natural History]] Flmnh.ufl.edu |date=25 March 2010 |access-date=23 September 2010}}</ref> In 2005 and 2006, this number decreased to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year.<ref name="attack2000" /> The 2016 yearly total of 81 shark attacks worldwide was on par with the most recent five-year (2011–2015) average of 82 incidents annually.<ref name="attack2016">{{cite web|title=ISAF 2016 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary|url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/isaf/worldwide-summary/|website=Florida Museum of Natural History|access-date=24 April 2017}}</ref> By contrast, the 98 shark attacks in 2015 was the highest yearly total on record.<ref name="attack2016" /> There were four fatalities worldwide in 2016, which is lower than the average of eight fatalities per year worldwide in the 2011–2015 period and six deaths per annum over the past decade.<ref name="attack2016" /> In 2016, 58% of attacks were on surfers.<ref name="attack2016" />

Despite these reports, however, the actual number of fatal shark attacks worldwide remains uncertain. In most Third World coastal nations, no method of reporting suspected shark attacks exists. Therefore, losses and fatalities near-shore or at sea often remain unsolved or unpublicized.

Of these attacks, most occurred in the [[United States]] (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005, and 39 in 2006).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/statsus.htm |title=ISAF Statistics for the USA Locations with the Highest Shark Attack Activity Since 1999 |publisher=Flmnh.ufl.edu |date=3 May 2010 |access-date=23 September 2010}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported in July 2008 that there had been only one fatal attack in the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/science/29tier.html |title=10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List |work=The New York Times |access-date=19 September 2010 | first=John | last=Tierney | date=29 July 2008}}</ref> On average, there are 16 shark attacks per year in the United States, with one fatality every two years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0613_050613_sharkfacts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050615234827/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0613_050613_sharkfacts.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 June 2005 |title=Shark Facts: Attack Stats, Record Swims, More |publisher=News.nationalgeographic.com |date=28 October 2010 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> According to the ISAF, the US states in which the most attacks have occurred are [[Florida]], [[Hawaii]], [[California]], [[Texas]] and [[the Carolinas]], though attacks have occurred in almost every coastal state.<ref name="usmap">{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapusa.htm |title=Map of United States (incl. Hawaii) Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks |publisher=Flmnh.ufl.edu |date=26 August 2010 |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref>

[[Australia]] has the highest number of fatal shark attacks in the world, with [[Western Australia]] recently becoming the deadliest place in the world for shark attacks<ref name="yahoo1">{{cite web|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/13318209/wa-deadiest-for-shark-attacks/ |title=WA 'deadiest' for shark attacks – The West Australian |publisher=Au.news.yahoo.com |date=1 April 2012 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> with total and fatal shark bites growing exponentially over the last 40 years.<ref name="Spri">{{cite journal|last1=Sprivulis|first1=P|title=Western Australian Coastal Shark Bites: A risk assessment|journal= Australasian Medical Journal|date=2014|pmc=3941575|pmid=24611078|doi=10.4066/AMJ.2014.2008|volume=7|issue=2|pages=137–42|doi-broken-date=11 April 2025}}</ref> Since 2000, there have been 17 fatal shark attacks along the West Australian coast,<ref name="Aust">{{cite news |title=Timeline of shark attacks along the Western Australian coast |url=https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/timeline-of-shark-attacks-along-the-western-australian-coast-20170418-gvn5jm.html |access-date=11 October 2020 |publisher=WA Today}}</ref> with divers now facing odds of one in 16,000 for a fatal shark bite.<ref name="Spri" /><ref name="whalemig">{{cite web|title=Shark attacks and whale migration in Western Australia|url=http://www.washarkattacks.net|access-date=25 April 2017}}</ref>

Other shark attack hotspots include [[Réunion]] Island,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314162399|title=Clinical features of 27 shark attack cases on La Réunion Island (PDF Download Available)|journal=Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery|volume=82|issue=5|pages=952–955|language=en|access-date=23 July 2017|doi=10.1097/TA.0000000000001399|pmid=28248805|year=2017|last1=Ballas|first1=Richard|last2=Saetta|first2=Ghislain|last3=Peuchot|first3=Charline|last4=Elkienbaum|first4=Philippe|last5=Poinsot|first5=Emmanuelle|s2cid=21996541}}</ref> Boa Viagem in [[Brazil]], Makena Beach in Maui, [[Hawaii]], and Second Beach, Port St. Johns, [[South Africa]].<ref name="Deadliestbeaches">{{cite web|title=The World's 10 Deadliest Shark Attack Beaches|url=http://www.theinertia.com/surf/10-shark-attack-beaches/|website=The Inertia|date=22 September 2013 |access-date=25 April 2017}}</ref> [[South Africa]] has a high number of shark attacks along with a high fatality rate of 27 percent.<ref name="worldattack">{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/World.htm |title=Map of World's Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks |publisher=Flmnh.ufl.edu |date=6 January 2011 |access-date=25 November 2011}}</ref>

As of 28 June 1992,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sharkattackdata.com/gsaf/place/brazil |title=Shark Attack Data Brazil |publisher=Shark Attack Data |access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> [[Recife]] in [[Brazil]] began officially registering shark attacks on its beaches (mainly on the beach of Boa Viagem). Over more than two decades, 64 victims were attacked, of whom 26 died. The last deadly attack occurred on 10 July 2021.<ref name="name">{{cite web |url=https://www.folhape.com.br/noticias/maioria-dos-incidentes-com-tubarao-em-pernambuco-ocorreu-no-mes-de/191672/ |title=Maioria dos incidentes com tubarão em Pernambuco ocorreu no mês de julho; |publisher=Folha de Pernambuco|date=27 July 2021 |access-date=2 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109190632/https://www.folhape.com.br/noticias/maioria-dos-incidentes-com-tubarao-em-pernambuco-ocorreu-no-mes-de/191672/ |archive-date=9 November 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> The attacks were caused by the bull shark and tiger shark species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://visitarecife.com.br/ataques-de-tubarao-em-recife/ |title=Ataques de tubarão em Recife – Conheça a verdade e as causas desse fenômeno. |publisher=Visitar Recife |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=23 December 2017 |archive-date=8 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808122535/http://visitarecife.com.br/ataques-de-tubarao-em-recife/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The shark attacks in Recife have an unusually high fatality rate of about 37%. This is much higher than the worldwide shark attack fatality rate, which is currently about 16%, according to Florida State Museum of Natural History.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-19720455 |title=The beautiful Brazilian beaches plagued by shark attacks |publisher=BBC |date=27 September 2012 |access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> Several factors have contributed to the unusually high attack and fatality rates, including pollution from sewage runoff<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-19720455 |title=The beautiful Brazilian beaches plagued by shark attacks |publisher=BBC |date=27 September 2012 |access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref> and a (now closed) local slaughterhouse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2006-07-29-0607270889-story.html |title=SHARK WEEK! FLORIDA EXPERT WADES INTO SCARY BRAZIL WATERS |work=South Florida Sun-Sentinel |date=29 July 2006 |access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref>

The place with the most recorded shark attacks is [[New Smyrna Beach, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-04-18-shark-beaches-forbes_N.htm | work=USA Today | date=21 April 2008 | access-date=9 April 2010 | title=North America's top shark-attack beaches | first=Stephen | last=Regenold}}</ref> Developed nations such as the United States, Australia and, to some extent, South Africa, facilitate more thorough documentation of shark attacks on humans than developing coastal nations. The increased use of technology has enabled Australia and the United States to record more data than other nations, which could somewhat bias the results. In addition, individuals and institutions in South Africa, the United States, and Australia keep a file which is regularly updated by an entire research team, the International Shark Attack File, and the Australian Shark Attack File.

The [[Florida Museum of Natural History]] compares these statistics with the much higher rate of deaths from other causes. For example, an average of more than 38 people die annually from [[lightning]] strikes in coastal states, while less than 1 person per year is killed by a shark in Florida.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/attacks/relarisk.htm |title=The Relative Risk of Shark Attacks to Humans |publisher=Flmnh.ufl.edu |access-date=23 September 2010}}</ref><ref>Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. [http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/attacks/2004lightning.html A Comparison with the Number of Lightning Fatalities in Coastal United States: 1959–2006]</ref> In the United States, the likelihood that a person who goes to beaches will be attacked by a shark is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person's chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million.

However, in certain situations the risk of a shark attack is higher. For example, in the southwest of [[Western Australia]] the chances of a surfer being fatally bitten by a shark in winter or spring are 1 in 40,000 and for divers it is 1 in 16,000.<ref name="Spri" /><ref name="whalemig" /> In comparison to the risk of a serious or fatal cycling accident, this represents three times the risk for a surfer and seven times the risk for a diver.<ref name="Spri" />

In comparison to previous years, ISAF reported a total of 57 unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2022, which is lower than the past five-year average of 70 incidents annually. There were also 32 provoked bites, 4 boat bites, and a few other incidents classified differently, totaling 108 cases investigated by ISAF in 2022. This reflects a decrease in both fatal and non-fatal shark bites.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=International Shark Attack File |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:auto; float:right; clear:right; margin:0 0 0.5em 1em; text-align:right; font-size: 85%;"
|+ style="background:#66a; color:#fff;" colspan="4"| Confirmed unprovoked shark attacks, 1958–2023
|-
! Region
! Total<br />attacks
! Fatal<br />attacks
! Last<br />fatality
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[United States]]'''{{efn|Excluding Hawaii}}||1106||37||2021
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Australia]]'''||647||261||2025<ref name=australia>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36037251gpo/ |title=Teenage girl killed in shark attack in Australia |access-date=3 Feb 2025 |work=[[BBC News]]|date=3 Feb 2025 }}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Africa]]'''||347||95||2023
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Asia]]'''||129||48||2000
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Hawaii]]'''||137<ref name=hawaii>{{cite web |url=https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/sharks/shark-incidents/incidents-list/ |title=Incidents List |access-date=27 May 2019 |work=[[Government of Hawaii]]|date=18 June 2014 }}</ref>||11<ref name="hawaii" />||2024<ref>{{cite news |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/26/hawaii-shark-attack-kills-california-man-1st-fatality-2015/1247236001/ |title=California man, 65, swimming off Maui killed in Hawaii's first fatal shark attack since 2015 |first=Kristin |last=Lam |date=27 May 2019 |access-date=27 May 2019 |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |publisher=[[Gannett]] |editor=The Associated Press |editor-link=The Associated Press}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Pacific Islands]] / [[Oceania]] '''{{efn|Excluding Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand}}||129||50||2023
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[South America]]'''||117||26||2018<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a21071724/teen-dies-after-losing-leg-and-penis-in-shark-attack/ |title = A Teen Died After Losing His Leg and Penis in a Horrific Shark Attack|date = 4 June 2018}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left" |  '''[[Antilles]]''' and '''[[The Bahamas|Bahamas]]'''||71||17||2022
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Middle America (Americas)|Middle America]]'''||56||27||2011
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Europe]]'''||52<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/maps/europe/ |title=Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks (1847–Present). Europe |access-date=27 May 2019 |work=[[Florida Museum of Natural History]]|date=24 January 2018 }}</ref>||27||1989
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[New Zealand]]'''||50||10||2021
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Réunion Island]]'''||39||19||2019<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/reunion-mort-d-un-surfeur-apres-une-attaque-de-requin-1688603.html|title=Un surfeur tué après une attaque de requin à La Réunion|date=9 May 2019|newspaper=BFMTV}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''Unspecified / Open ocean'''||21||7||1995
|-
| style="text-align:left" | '''[[Bermuda]]'''||3||0|| —
|- class="sortbottom"
! style="background:#ddf; text-align:center;"| Total:
! style="background:#ddf; text-align:right;"| 2900
! style="background:#ddf; text-align:right;"| 633
! style="background:#ddf; text-align:right;"| 2023
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left" colspan="4" | Sources: [http://www.sharkattackdata.com/country-overview/australia Shark Attack Data Australia] [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903024600/https://taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/australian-shark-attack-file/latest-figures Australian Shark Attack File] for unprovoked attacks in Australia<br />[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/World.htm International Shark Attack File] for unprovoked attacks in all other regions<br />{{center|<small>Last Updated: 9 February 2023</small>}}
|}

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