Probability of Being Killed by a Falling Coconut

The widely cited statistic that 150 people are killed by falling coconuts each year has been traced to a 1984 study by Dr. Peter Barss published in the Journal of Trauma, which documented 9 coconut-related deaths over 4 years in Papua New Guinea and extrapolated. The actual global death toll is uncertain but is likely in the range of 10-50 per year, primarily in tropical regions where coconut palms are common.

Coconuts typically weigh 1-4 pounds and can fall from heights of 30-75 feet, reaching speeds sufficient to cause serious head trauma. The risk is concentrated in tropical coastal areas of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, and parts of Central and South America. The risk to tourists visiting tropical resorts is extremely small.

In areas where the risk is real, hotels and beach resorts often trim coconut palms or install nets to catch falling fruit. The comparison to shark attacks is a common internet factoid: you are technically more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a shark, though both risks are vanishingly small for most people.