With Shark Week 2019 upon us, Safewise wanted to find which states had the most shark attacks over the last two decades. We analyzed data from all shark attacks, both fatal and nonfatal, reported to Global Shark Attack File from 2000 to 2019.
There have been 865 shark attacks over the last two decades! With over 10 attacks since June 2019.
Check out our full report for data on shark attacks and key safety tips to prevent an encounter: https://www.safewise.com/blog/
Study Highlights:
- Florida and Hawaii hold the top spots for most shark attacks out of any other coastal states. Florida has 486, while Hawaii has 117 attacks over the last two decades.
- Out of the 91 million recreational swimmers in the US, there are usually about 44 attacked by sharks each year over the past decade.
- There have been only 18 fatal shark attacks in the last 20 years, nine in each decade.
- Men are more likely to fall victim to shark attacks perhaps because they participate in activities like surfing, diving, and long-distance swimming more often than women. Since 2000, one in four victims were female, and three in four were male.
Methodology:
Safewise dug into data from all shark attacks, both fatal and nonfatal, reported to Global Shark Attack File over the last two decades (2000–2019). We included only unprovoked shark attacks on our map—meaning the victim was not actively engaging with the shark when the attack occurred.
