Many people believe Australia is the most dangerous place when it comes to snakes, but in reality, the countries leading in attacks by these reptiles are completely different. Specialists from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have conducted a large-scale study evaluating the situation in various corners of the world.
Scientists examined data from 79 countries covering the period from January 2007 to March 2025. The results revealed that between 2.1 million and 7 million snake envenomation cases are recorded globally each year, of which 274,000 to 513,000 result in death. Researchers emphasize that the actual figures are even higher.
India tops the list, recording between 409,000 and 1.3 million bites annually. Nigeria ranks second with up to 666,000 cases, followed by Indonesia in third place, where that number reaches 490,000. Among the leaders are also the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Uganda, Pakistan, and Brazil. These 20 countries account for around 75% of all recorded cases worldwide.
The situation is severe in Sub-Saharan African countries, which account for approximately 45% of bites and deaths. In low-income regions, keeping accurate statistics is difficult, so the true scale of this problem was heavily underestimated in the past.
The obtained data clearly show that the primary burden of snakebites falls on developing and low-income countries. Here, the issue is not merely the presence of dangerous animals, but the access to quality first aid and antivenoms.
The underdeveloped state of healthcare systems and the lack of up-to-date data prevent an accurate assessment of the situation's true severity. Consequently, the reallocation of resources by international organizations toward the highest-risk zones is becoming a public health priority.
