Number of shark attacks increased worldwide in 2023, annual report shows. 69 “unprovoked” shark bites were recorded worldwide, compared to 63 in 2022.
These attacks, more than half of which (36) took place in the United States, left 10 dead, double the number from the previous year. But the increase in these attacks does not mean that sharks are more numerous or becoming more aggressive, emphasizes Gavin Naylor, co-author of the study. According to a study published in 2021 in the journal Nature, global populations of sharks and rays have indeed fallen by 71% since 1970.