Scientists reveal a hidden snakebite crisis killing up to 513,000 people a year
A startling new study suggests that venomous snakebites are killing far more people worldwide than official statistics indicate, with an estimated 274,000 to 513,000 deaths every year. Researchers found that as many as 7 million people could suffer snake envenoming annually, while more than 800,000 survivors are left with long-term disabilities.
Key points
- Researchers estimate at least 2.1 million snake envenomings occur globally each year, with deaths ranging from 274,000 to 513,000.
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 45% of global envenomings and fatalities, nearly three times the rate of south Asia.
- Over 800,000 survivors are estimated to be left with long-term disabilities each year, including amputations.
A new study estimates that snake envenoming affects at least 2.1 million people worldwide each year, with annual deaths possibly ranging from 274,000 to 513,000. The researchers, writing in The Conversation, say the condition is a public health crisis on a far greater scale than official statistics have shown.
The study reviewed data from 79 countries, covering studies published up to March 31, 2025, and used a geostatistical model to fill gaps where health records were blank. More than half of the countries where venomous snakes pose a threat do not count bites or envenomings.
Where the burden falls
Sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest toll, accounting for 45% of all global envenomings and fatalities, according to the research. People there experience envenoming and death at nearly three times the rate seen in south Asia.
Countries including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia face a high burden, driven by dense rural populations and high exposure in agricultural fields. The researchers attribute the disproportionate harm to structural factors, such as a rich diversity of medically important venomous species and rural workers laboring without protective boots.
Snake envenoming has remained hidden for too long.
— the researchers
Disability and response
The researchers estimate that over 800,000 survivors are left with long-term physical disabilities each year, including amputations and other permanent impairments. These can reduce household income and push vulnerable farming families deeper into poverty.
The World Health Organization aims to halve snakebite mortality and disability by 2030. The researchers say spatial risk data could help governments and health partners stockpile antivenom in high-risk hotspots and train primary healthcare workers in high-burden rural zones.
