Spider bite deaths: How many people are killed by spiders in Australia?

Huntsman spiders look scary, while redback and funnel web spiders have potentially fatal bites. But the production of effective antivenoms means there have been no spider bite deaths in Australia since 1979.

Australia is notorious for its wide array of deadly animals. Brown snakes, saltwater crocodiles, great white sharks and box jellyfish are just some of the charming creatures that can kill people in Australia.

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But for some visitors, it’s the spiders that are scariest. Australia is home to plenty of spiders, many of which routinely find their way into homes. Many a Sydney resident, for example, has been terrified by a big, hairy huntsman spider climbing the wall.

Tick off 9 Australian bucket list experiences

Take Blue Mountains day tour from Sydney – with kangaroo-feeding at a wildlife park, Scenic World tickets and a Parramatta River cruise.
Snorkel or dive on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.
Do Australia’s most spectacular drive on a Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne.
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Have a dune-top barbecue dinner and stargazing session in the shadow of Uluru.
See penguins on Phillip Island – and more native wildlife at the Moonlit Sanctuary – on a day trip from Melbourne.
Go snorkelling, sandboarding and kayaking on Moreton Island from Brisbane.
Meet gloriously cute quokkas on Rottnest Island near Perth with a ferry and bike hire package.
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Venomous spiders in Australia

The huntsman has a nasty bite. But it’s the more venomous spiders such as the Sydney funnel web spider and the redback spider that people need to give a wider berth.

So how many people are killed by huntsman spiders? And how many people are killed by redback spiders? Just how many people in Australia die from funnel web spider bites?

Well, the answer to all these questions is both boring and relief-inducing. No-one has ever died from a huntsman bite, while there have been no recorded deaths from funnel webs or redbacks for a long time.

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Australian spider bite deaths and antivenoms

This is mainly because effective antivenoms have been developed. The antivenom for redback spiders was first produced in 1956, and the antivenom for funnel web spiders was first produced in 1980. You can learn more about this at the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast – dangerous creatures are milked for their venom there.

Sydney funnel web spider at Australian Reptile Park — A Sydney funnel web spider, waiting to be milked at the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Australian spider bite deaths per year

The Australian Bureau of Statistics records spider bite deaths in its annual causes of death data. There have been no spider bite deaths in the last ten years, according to the ABS data speadsheets.

In fact, according to the Australian Museum, the last recorded spider bite death in Australia was in 1979. No-one has been killed by a spider in Australia since. That’s despite there being an estimated 2,000 redback bites on humans per year. Many of these, however, are ‘dry’ bites – no venom is actually released.

By comparison, there’s an average of two to three snake bite deaths in Australia every year.