Unprovoked Shark Attacks Spiked Globally Last Year, International Shark Attack File Finds

Here’s a read you probably won’t want to take to the beach: On Wednesday, the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida released its annual International Shark Attack File for the year 2025—and according to The Guardian, it showed that unprovoked attacks by sharks increased sharply over 2024.

The ISAF, which was established in 1958, showed that there were 105 total incidents last year, with 65 unprovoked attacks—or “incidents in which a bite on a live human occurs in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark,” per the report. Twenty-nine of the attacks were provoked by humans, and the remaining incidents involved sharks biting boats, post-mortem bites from scavenging, and others where “no assignment could be made” or a bite was unconfirmed.

The species most responsible for bites are known as the big three: the white shark, tiger shark, and bull shark.

Unprovoked Attacks Up Year-Over-Year

The number of unprovoked shark attacks was up from 2024, when 47 such incidents occurred. That said, the report notes that the total number of incidents “is in line with the most recent five-year (2020-2024) average of 61 incidents annually,” and is lower than the 69 unprovoked attacks that occurred in 2023. The number is also lower than the 10-year average of 72 unprovoked bites.

There were 12 total shark attack-related fatalities in 2025, of which nine were unprovoked; that number is more than double the four people who were killed by unprovoked bites in 2024 (seven people total were killed in shark bite incidents that year). But the number “is also in line with the most recent five-year annual global average of eight unprovoked fatalities per year,” according to the report. The nine fatalities that occurred in 2025, however, mark a 50 percent increase over the 10-year average of six deaths.

Most of the fatalities in 2025 were caused by great white sharks, which killed three people in Australia and one in California. “The 2025 uptick in fatalities due to white sharks may reflect stochastic year-to-year variation, but it might also be the consequence of the increasing number of white sharks seen at aggregation sites near beaches that are popular with surfers (particularly in Australia),” the report notes.

Shark Attacks by Region and Activity

The United States led the way in terms of shark attacks, with 38 percent of unprovoked incidents (25 total, three less than 2024) occurring in U.S. waters, but only one fatality was recorded. Florida was once again the state with the most bite incidents, accounting for 44 percent of the U.S. total and 17 percent of the worldwide total. Overall, the U.S. saw an 11 percent decrease in bites from 2024.

Following the U.S. in total shark attacks was Australia, which had 21 unprovoked bites (32 percent of the world total) and five total fatalities (56 percent of shark-related fatalities around the globe). Seven incidents (one fatal) occurred in western Australia; three (including a fatality) in South Australia; two (one fatality) in Queensland; eight in New South Wales (two fatal); and one in Victoria.

“If these bites occurred anywhere other than Australia, they would probably have resulted in even more fatalities,” Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said in a press release. “Their beach safety is second to none. Within minutes of a bite, they’ve got helicopters airborne ready to respond.”

There were also incidents in the Bahamas and off of Samoa and the Canary Islands. The report also notes that Canada had its first shark bite incident since 2021. Last year also marked the first time a dusky shark was responsible for a fatality: a free diver on the hunt for crayfish off the coast of South Africa was bitten during the area’s annual sardine run. 

The report showed that most shark bites in 2025 occurred during swimming and wading, followed by surfing and snorkeling/free-diving.

How to Stay Safe

Shark populations are decreasing because of overfishing, and attacks are, thankfully, incredibly rare: As the Georgia Aquarium puts it, “Statistically, a person is more likely to be hit by an asteroid than killed by a shark.” Even lightning kills more people, causing around 23,000 fatalities each year. 

Still, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk, including:

• Swimming with a friend
• Staying near the shore
• Avoiding going in the water at dawn and dusk
• Staying away from areas where large schools of fish are congregating
• Removing jewelry and avoiding lots of splashing

If you do find yourself having a close encounter with a shark, maintain eye contact and get out of the water if you can. If the shark goes in for a bite, hit and push away its snout and target sensitive areas like the eyes and gills, which the ISAF notes “can be hurt regardless of personal strength.”