Shark Attacks in Sierra Leone

The Global Shark Attack File records 9 shark attacks in Sierra Leone between 1827 and 2006. Of those, 5 were fatal (55.6%). The species most often involved is the 3 m.

Total recorded

Fatal

Fatality rate

55.6%

Global avg 21.1%

Years covered

1827–2006

Recorded incidents by year

Peak 2 (1827)Avg 1.1

182718892006

8 years of data, 1827–2006

Shark attacks in Sierra Leone per year, 1827–2006
Year	Attacks
1827	2
1828	1
1829	1
1845	1
1889	1
1943	1
1944	1
2006	1

Species most often involved in Sierra Leone

Species	Recorded incidents
3 m	1

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

Swimming2
Fishing1
The 21,516-ton troopship Empress of Canada torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci1
Cleaning the side of a ship1
British ship, Britannia, was loading lumber. He was bathing1

Recent recorded incidents in Sierra Leone

Explore further

Global shark attack statistics →
Compare Sierra Leone to other countries →
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Sierra Leone is in Africa

Frequently Asked Questions

How many shark attacks have been recorded in Sierra Leone?

The Global Shark Attack File records 9 shark attacks in Sierra Leone, of which 5 were fatal.

What is the shark attack fatality rate in Sierra Leone?

55.6% of recorded shark attacks in Sierra Leone are fatal, compared with a global average of 21.1%.

Which shark species are most often involved in attacks in Sierra Leone?

Based on incident records, the species most frequently identified in Sierra Leone attacks are 3 m.

What activities are most associated with shark attacks in Sierra Leone?

Swimming accounts for the largest share of recorded incidents in Sierra Leone, with 2 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.