Global unprovoked shark bites returned to near-average levels in 2025, following a sharp reduction the year prior, according to an annual report.
There was a total of 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2025, slightly less than the most recent 10-year average of 72. Nine of last year’s bites resulted in fatalities, compared to the 10-year average of six.
According to Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History:
“The International Shark Attack Files provide baseline data about shark attacks on people that are rigorously and scientifically investigated, evaluated and summarized on an annual basis. While a significant fraction of incidents likely go unreported, the temporal trends, and local and global patterns of incidents are used to evaluate the biology of the animals, their behavior and the risk they pose to humans.”
The museum’s International Shark Attack File was established in 1958 and includes records dating back to the 1500s. The annual reports are primarily focused on unprovoked bites, defined as incidents in which a person doesn’t initiate contact with a shark, intentionally or otherwise. Activities that influence a shark’s behavior, such as spearfishing or releasing a shark from a hook or net, are not included in the report.
The number of unprovoked bites in the United States has decreased overall during the past five years, but it remains the region with the highest reported activity, accounting for 38% of incidents worldwide last year. This is also a marked decrease in the proportion of bites for the country. More than 50% of all bites took place in the United States each year since 2019.
Australia followed last year with 32% of the world’s unprovoked bites and 56% of shark-related fatalities.
Smaller percentage of bites reported in US compared to recent years
Last year, 11 bites occurred in Florida, which consistently has more incidents than any other U.S. state. This is lower than the state’s most recent five-year annual average of 18 bites. Volusia County, often referred to as the shark bite capital of the world, accounted for more than half of Florida’s bites. But numbers there also declined in recent years. The county recorded six bites in 2025, below its recent 10-year average of nine and well under the recent spike of 17 bites in 2021.
Shark bites fluctuate around the world
Australia followed closely behind the United States, with 21 of last year’s global shark bites, notably higher than the most recent five-year annual average of 13 incidents for the region. The country’s coasts are home to the so-called “big three” species responsible for most serious bites: the white shark, tiger shark and bull shark. Their serrated teeth, powerful jaws and large size – white sharks can reach nearly 20 feet in length – mean that even an exploratory bite can prove deadly.
Australia recorded five unprovoked shark-bite fatalities in 2025.
Naylor said:
“If these bites occurred anywhere other than Australia, they would probably have resulted in even more fatalities. Their beach safety is second to none. Within minutes of a bite, they’ve got helicopters airborne ready to respond.”
There are fewer sharks than there used to be
Overall, the global statistics on the number of unprovoked shark bites show a remarkable level of regularity: the 10-, 20- and 30-year averages for unprovoked bites only differ by four, and the average number of fatalities for the same time intervals has remained unchanged, with an average of six fatalities each year.
At the same time, global shark populations remain far below historical levels.
Naylor said:
“Out of the 1200 species, 30% of them are categorized as endangered. That’s a lot, especially because these animals have managed to persist for about 330 million years. They’ve been through the Permian Extinction and Cretaceous Extinction. Clearly, they’re resilient, yet here we are.”
The decline in shark numbers is largely due to overfishing. In some countries, such as the United States and Australia, stronger protections have allowed certain populations to recover. Elsewhere, changes in water temperature and conditions are shifting shark distributions, which can create the appearance of sudden population spikes locally even though overall population numbers remain steady or decrease. Scientists have found that even with additional protection, global shark mortality due to fishing has increased.
According to Naylor:
“Shark bites are the consequence of the biology of the animals, the climatic conditions and the number of people in the water, at the time of the incident. These global patterns change only slightly from one year to the other. But the regional incidents do oscillate a lot, and these local trends are interesting.”
The chances of being bitten by a shark remain extremely low. Drowning and being struck by lightning are far more common. According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of death from unintentional injury worldwide. In the United States alone, the CDC reports over 4,000 drowning deaths annually. Globally, lightning causes an estimated 24,000 fatalities each year, with about ten times as many injuries.
The International Shark Attack File has suggestions for further decreasing your chances of shark bites, including swimming with other people nearby, avoiding swimming at dawn and dusk and staying away from where people are fishing. If participating in shark tourism activities, avoid baited shark tours, which are illegal in Florida but commonplace in some areas around the world. Feeding sharks may train them to link human activity with food, potentially increasing the risk of negative encounters.
For more information, go to the International Shark Attack File’s website or check out the 2025 report here.
