Shark Attacks in Papua New Guinea

The Global Shark Attack File records 152 shark attacks in Papua New Guinea between 1878 and 2019. Of those, 68 were fatal (44.7%). The species most often involved is the 3.7 m [12'] shark.

Total recorded

152

Fatal

Fatality rate

44.7%

Global avg 21.1%

Years covered

1878–2019

Recorded incidents by year

Peak 12 (1956)Avg 3.7

187819582019

40 years of data, 1878–2019

Shark attacks in Papua New Guinea per year, 1878–2019
Year	Attacks
1878	1
1908	1
1925	1
1926	2
1931	1
1935	2
1939	3
1940	2
1941	1
1943	1
1944	1
1948	3
1949	6
1951	1
1952	4
1953	2
1954	5
1955	7
1956	12
1957	3
1958	9
1959	9
1960	11
1961	4
1962	6
1963	5
1964	8
1965	6
1966	6
1967	5
1968	4
1970	1
1988	1
1989	1
1996	3
2000	3
2002	3
2011	2
2014	1
2019	1

Species most often involved in Papua New Guinea

Species	Recorded incidents
3.7 m [12'] shark	7
Tiger shark	6
6' shark	3
A pack of	2
Possibly a bronze whaler shark	2

Counts based on the species field in the Global Shark Attack File. Species identification in incident reports is not always reliable.

Activities most associated with incidents

Spearfishing25
Fishing19
Swimming13
Diving5
Scuba diving2

Recent recorded incidents in Papua New Guinea

Explore further

Global shark attack statistics →
Compare Papua New Guinea to other countries →
Interactive world map →
Papua New Guinea is in Asia

Frequently Asked Questions

How many shark attacks have been recorded in Papua New Guinea?

The Global Shark Attack File records 152 shark attacks in Papua New Guinea, of which 68 were fatal.

What is the shark attack fatality rate in Papua New Guinea?

44.7% of recorded shark attacks in Papua New Guinea are fatal, compared with a global average of 21.1%.

Which shark species are most often involved in attacks in Papua New Guinea?

Based on incident records, the species most frequently identified in Papua New Guinea attacks are 3.7 m [12'] shark, Tiger shark, 6' shark.

What activities are most associated with shark attacks in Papua New Guinea?

Spearfishing accounts for the largest share of recorded incidents in Papua New Guinea, with 25 cases logged.

Where does this shark attack data come from?

All figures are derived from the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a non-profit database of shark-human incident records. Shark Data Lab cleans, geocodes, and aggregates the GSAF dataset for analysis.