Key Takeaways
- In the United States, approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, with about 800,000 seeking medical attention
- Globally, dog bites cause around 25,000 deaths annually, primarily from rabies transmission in developing countries
- In 2022, US emergency departments treated over 393,000 dog bite injuries
- Face is injured in 67% of dog bites to children under 13
- 20% of dog bites result in infection requiring antibiotics
- US dog bites cause 10,000 hospitalizations yearly, 30% requiring surgery
- Pit bulls involved in 66% of dog bite-related deaths in US 2005-2022
- Rottweilers account for 10% of fatal dog attacks in US since 1979
- In the US, 65 breeds implicated in serious maulings, but 9 breeds in 66% of fatalities
- US dog bite medical costs averaged $44,000 per severe case in 2023
- Total US dog bite claims payouts: $881 million in 2022
- Average dog bite liability claim: $64,555 in US 2023
- Children aged 5-9 years comprise 28% of US dog bite victims seeking medical care
- Males are 60% more likely to be hospitalized for dog bites than females in the US
- 50.6% of US dog bite victims are children under 13 years old
Each year, millions are bitten by dogs in the US and worldwide, with rabies and severe injuries still causing deaths.
Related reading
Epidemiology
Epidemiology Interpretation
More related reading
Injury Characteristics
Injury Characteristics Interpretation
More related reading
Perpetrator Profiles
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
More related reading
Socioeconomic Impacts
Socioeconomic Impacts Interpretation
More related reading
Victim Profiles
Victim Profiles Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Dog Bite Injury Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dog-bite-injury-statistics
Lars Eriksen. "Dog Bite Injury Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dog-bite-injury-statistics.
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Dog Bite Injury Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dog-bite-injury-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.gov
cdc.gov
- Reference 2WHOwho.int
who.int
- Reference 3PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 4AVMAavma.org
avma.org
- Reference 5NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.gov
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 6EUROSURVEILLANCEeurosurveillance.org
eurosurveillance.org
- Reference 7AIHWaihw.gov.au
aihw.gov.au
- Reference 8DOGSBITEdogsbite.org
dogsbite.org
- Reference 9CIHIcihi.ca
cihi.ca
- Reference 10NHSnhs.uk
nhs.uk
- Reference 11SCIELOscielo.br
scielo.br
- Reference 12INJURYFACTSinjuryfacts.nsc.org
injuryfacts.nsc.org
- Reference 13PUBLICATIONSpublications.aap.org
publications.aap.org
- Reference 14IIIiii.org
iii.org
- Reference 15HAS-SANTEhas-sante.fr
has-sante.fr
- Reference 16DGUdgu.de
dgu.de
- Reference 17GOBgob.mx
gob.mx
- Reference 18NICDnicd.ac.za
nicd.ac.za
- Reference 19PEDIATRICSpediatrics.aappublications.org
pediatrics.aappublications.org
- Reference 20THELANCETthelancet.com
thelancet.com
- Reference 21GOVgov.uk
gov.uk
- Reference 22NATIONALDOGBITESPREVENTIONWEEKnationaldogbitespreventionweek.com
nationaldogbitespreventionweek.com
- Reference 23SECUREsecure.cihi.ca
secure.cihi.ca
- Reference 24JPEDSjpeds.com
jpeds.com
- Reference 25SANTEPUBLIQUEFRANCEsantepubliquefrance.fr
santepubliquefrance.fr
- Reference 26VAva.gov
va.gov
- Reference 27ROYALMAILroyalmail.com
royalmail.com
- Reference 28NATIONALCANINEDANGERAWARENESSDAYnationalcaninedangerawarenessday.org
nationalcaninedangerawarenessday.org
- Reference 29ENen.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
- Reference 30LEGIFRANCElegifrance.gouv.fr
legifrance.gouv.fr
- Reference 31UPTODATEuptodate.com
uptodate.com
- Reference 32PLASTICSURGERYplasticsurgery.org
plasticsurgery.org
- Reference 33ASPSasps.org
asps.org
- Reference 34FORBESforbes.com
forbes.com
- Reference 35STATEFARMstatefarm.com
statefarm.com
- Reference 36ABOUTabout.usps.com
about.usps.com
- Reference 37FAIRHEALTHCONSUMERfairhealthconsumer.org
fairhealthconsumer.org







