All Fermi answers
Fermi #51 · Question 2

How many shark attacks were confirmed worldwide last year?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

2QUESTION 2 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

65

attacks

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

Shark attacks are rare enough that nearly every one makes the news, wherever in the world it happens. How often do you see one? Feels like about once a week.

Weeks in a year
52
Attacks a week, worldwide
× 1
52 × 1
≈ 52

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
United States
25
Australia
21
Rest of the world
19
≈
65

Reference cited by Fermi: Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File annual report

How close was your guess?

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Compare by ratio: divide the larger number by the smaller one. The closer to 1×, the better.

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