How many people get eaten by sharks in a year?

According to the International Business Times, an average of four to five people are killed by sharks every year. There are around 80 unprovoked attacks each year, with the majority occurring in the waters around North America.

Fatal shark attacks are incredibly rare events despite the amount of media attention they garner. Since 1580, less than 500 people have been killed by sharks around the world. Australia is the region with the highest fatality rate, with about 30 percent of all shark attacks in Australian waters proving fatal. This increased fatality rate is one of the factors that spurred the country to consider a shark cull despite the relative rarity of attacks.