Aust ranks second in shark attacks

The US had 32 unprovoked shark attacks in 2018, ahead of the 20 recorded in Australia.

Australia was second behind the US for the number of recorded shark attacks in 2018. (AAP)

Australia remains one of the world's top shark attack hotspots with 20 unprovoked incidents last year.

The annual release of the Florida-based International Shark Attack File found the US as the nation reporting the most shark attacks on humans in 2018 with 32 confirmed cases and one fatality.

This was markedly lower than the 53 incidents in the US in 2017.

Half of the 2018 US attacks occurred in Florida.

Australia had 20 unprovoked shark attacks last year, slightly higher than the recent five-year annual average of 14.

There was one fatality, which fell below Australia's average of two fatal incidents annually.

Nine attacks occurred in NSW, eight in Western Australia, two in Queensland (one fatal) and one in Victoria.

South Africa recorded two non-fatal attacks in 2018, significantly lower than its annual average of four and one fatality. However, four remaining unclassified attacks from South Africa are still under investigation.

Egypt and Brazil had three shark attacks and the Bahama Islands, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Thailand had one each.

The 2018 worldwide total of 66 confirmed, unprovoked cases was lower than the most recent five-year average of 84 incidents annually.

The International Shark Attack File is compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Elasmobranch Society.