Experts at the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) say there were 98 such attacks worldwide in 2015, including six fatalities.
The previous annual record was 88 attacks in 2000.
The United States led the world with 59 attacks last year.
Six people were killed by sharks, including a snorkeler in Hawaii.
Two deaths were recorded off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, and shark attack victims also died in Australia, Egypt and New Caledonia, according to data submitted by scientists worldwide.
South Africa and Australia recorded eight and 18 attacks, respectively.
While last year saw twice as many fatal attacks as 2014, the number of deadly encounters was roughly on par with the past decade’s average, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, maintained at the University of Florida, the database was established in 1958.
The 98 unprovoked attacks surpassed by 10 the previous high recorded in 2000, he said. The rise reflects growing populations of both people and sharks, he said.
