Attack Statistics

 

Attacks Over The Last Decade

The 1990's has seen the greatest increase in shark attacks than any other decade. A total of 536 incidences were reported to the International Shark Attack File with a high of 74 in 1995 and an average of 54 per year. Of all these attacks, 72 proved fatal, which is in keeping with the normal rate of 13%. The graph below shows at a glance, the number of unprovoked attacks from around the world over the last ten years.

Numbers of shark attacks for 1990 to 1999
When the graphs for the 1990s and the 1980s are compared, the steady increase is very apparent. This is accounted for by the growth in world population and the increase in marine activity that man undertakes. As the number of people in the water increases, so does the chance of encounter with a potentially dangerous species of shark.

Numbers of shark attacks for 1980 to 1989
Of all the shark attacks to occur in the 1990s (536), 249 or 46% took place in the waters off of the Unites States coastline, marking a dramatic rise from previous decades, when Australia and South Africa were considered to be the notorious hotspots. During this period, Australia and South Africa accounted for 10% and 12% respectively of the world totals. The rise in North American attacks is in large due to the increased tourism that the state of Florida now favours, with a massive 35% of the world total (186 incidences) being reported from this state alone. Whilst at first it would appear that these waters are the most dangerous in the world, it is amazing to note that from all the Florida attacks in the 1990s, only one proved fatal, with many victims suffering little more than a nasty cut or two. The United States actually has a very low fatality rate of only 2% compared to the global average of 13%.

The chart below shows the total of attacks for certain areas, how many were fatal and the percentage of the world total.

 

     U.S.A.     Australia  South Africa    Brazil Rest of the World
Year Total % Fatal % Total % Fatal % Total % Fatal % Total % Fatal % Total % Fatal %
1999 32 55 0 0 2 3 1 25 9 16 2 50 4 7 0 0 11 19 1 25
1998 24 44 1 17 1 2 1 17 18 33 1 17 4 8 2 32 7 13 1 17
1997 29 48 0 0 9 15 0 0 4 7 2 16 5 8 2 16 13 22 8 68
1996 18 42 0 0 7 16 0 0 4 9 0 0 2 5 0 0 12 28 3 100
1995 37 50 0 0 9 12 1 9 5 7 1 9 6 8 2 18 17 23 7 64
1994 30 48 2 22 3 5 0 0 9 15 1 12 15 24 3 33 5 8 3 33
1993 19 35 0 0 5 9 3 22 6 11 0 0 5 9 1 7 20 36 10 71
1992 22 40 1 14 4 7 1 14 3 6 0 0 7 13 1 14 19 34 4 58
1991 21 55 1 33 7 18½ 1 33 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 18½ 1 33
1990 17 46 0 0 6 16 1 33 4 11 1 33 2 5 1 33 8 22 0 0