Deaths by dog attack in England and Wales by age 1991 to 2023

FOI REF: FOI-2023-1504

You asked

Please could you provide me with the following data:

1. Deaths by dog bites/being struck by a dog between 1991 and 2023 in England and Wales, preferably with geographical breakdown

2. What types of dogs were involved in these attacks

3. The age of those affected

We said

Thank you for your request. 

Our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules.   

The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:  

a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury. 

Causes of death are certified in most cases by a doctor, who records the sequence of medical conditions and relevant events leading to, or contributing to, the death, based on the deceased's healthcare records and other available information, such as laboratory tests or post-mortem investigation. Some deaths are certified by a coroner who determines the causes of death following an inquest, based on all the available evidence. It is unusual for wider contextual factors such as dog breed to be recorded on the death certificate.

Please see associate download 'Deaths by dog attack 1991 to 2023.xls' for data showing the number of deaths where the underlying cause was recorded as bitten or struck by a dog.

Figures are by 5-year age group for death registered in England and Wales from January 1991 to September 2023.

Unfortunately, owing to the low numbers involved, we are unable to provide a further geographical breakdown, as this poses of a risk of disclosing personal information.

If you have any queries about this data, please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.