Unprovoked shark attacks up sharply in 2025, with 12 human deaths worldwide

"The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world. The International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, recorded 65 unprovoked attacks worldwide, up from 47 during 2024, and an increase on the five-year average of 61."

"The report confirmed 12 human fatalities from shark bites during the year, almost double the previous year's total of seven, which it suggested might be because of increasing numbers of great white sharks at aggregation sites, beaches popular with surfers, especially in Australia. 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, Gavin Naylor, the organization's program director said. Despite the year-on-year figures changing dramatically, the report notes that the 10, 20 and 30-year averages for unprovoked bites differ by only four, and the average number of fatalities remained unchanged at six."

"Five of the year's fatalities were in Australia, with 21 unprovoked bites in the country. The previous year there were only nine bites classed as unprovoked, determined to be when a shark bites a person in its natural habitat with no prior interaction, and zero fatalities. 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, Naylor said."

There were 65 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2025, up from 47 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 61. Twelve human fatalities occurred, nearly double the prior year’s seven, with increases linked to growing great white shark numbers at aggregation sites and popular surf beaches. Long-term averages (10-, 20-, 30-year) changed little, and the average annual fatalities stayed at six. Regional incident counts oscillated markedly, with five fatalities and 21 unprovoked bites in Australia. A single Florida county continued to be identified as the global shark bite capital.

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