⚠️This fact has been debunked
The '150 coconut deaths per year' statistic is a myth with no scientific evidence. It originated from a 1984 study that reported only 2 deaths in Papua New Guinea, which was misquoted as 150 worldwide. The claim was popularized by a British travel insurance company (Club Direct) and spread by shark researcher George Burgess, who later admitted he got the number from the internet without fact-checking. While coconut-related deaths do rarely occur, accurate global statistics don't exist, and the number is certainly not 150 annually.
Coconuts kill more people in the world than sharks do. Approximately 150 people are killed each year by coconuts.
The Coconut Death Myth: Debunking a Viral 'Fact'
You've probably heard it before: "Coconuts kill more people than sharks!" It's one of those facts that sounds believable enough to repeat at parties. There's just one problem—it's completely made up.
The claim that 150 people die each year from falling coconuts has been thoroughly debunked by researchers and fact-checkers. No scientific study, health organization, or mortality database supports this number. So where did it come from?
How a Myth Goes Viral
The trail leads back to 1984, when researcher Dr. Peter Barss published a study about trauma cases in Papua New Guinea. He found that over four years, 2.5% of hospital admissions were from falling coconut injuries—with two anecdotal death reports. That's two deaths, not 150 per year.
Fast forward to 2002. George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, mentioned the "150 deaths" statistic in an interview. Where did he get it? From the internet—specifically, from a British travel insurance company called Club Direct that had used the figure in a marketing campaign. Burgess later admitted he never fact-checked it.
Somewhere along the way, those two deaths in Papua New Guinea got extrapolated into a global estimate with zero evidence. The number stuck because it made for great clickbait.
What About Sharks?
Here's what we actually know: sharks kill an average of 5-10 people per year worldwide, according to the International Shark Attack File. In 2024, there were 7 confirmed shark-related fatalities. The five-year average is about 6 deaths annually.
So while it's true that coconut-related deaths do occur occasionally—there were documented cases in Sri Lanka (2024) and India (2025)—we simply don't have reliable global data. And the number is almost certainly much lower than the mythical 150.
Why We Believed It
This myth persists because it fits a narrative we love: the idea that mundane things are secretly more dangerous than the stuff that scares us. It's the same reason people share statistics about vending machines killing more people than sharks (another oversimplification).
The truth is less dramatic but more honest: we don't track coconut deaths systematically. No international database exists. Dr. Barss himself said the 150 figure was pulled "out of thin air."
The real takeaway? Coconuts can be dangerous if you're standing under a palm tree—a mature coconut weighs 3-4 pounds and can fall from 80 feet. But the viral statistic comparing them to sharks is pure fiction, born from a misquote, amplified by insurance marketing, and spread by people who never checked the source.
Next time someone drops this "fact" in conversation, you'll know the real story.