Question 17 of 24
How often do you flirt with genuine danger (extreme sports, dodgy travel, gremlin driving)?
The short answer
Skydiving is among the better-tracked adventure sports: US Parachute Association figures put the 2023 civilian fatality rate at roughly 0.27 deaths per 100,000 jumps, and 2024 fatalities fell to a record low of nine. Verified per-participation rates for BASE jumping, mountaineering and motorsport could not be confirmed here, though these are generally regarded as considerably more dangerous per attempt.
Pick one to continue — the dead don't get to skip homework.
The math of 'send it'
💀 A grim little fact
Extreme sports come with extreme spreadsheets. Tracked over 11 years at Norway's Kjerag cliff, BASE jumping killed about 1 person per 2,317 jumps — roughly 123 times deadlier per jump than skydiving (~1 in 285,000). Across unmonitored cliffs and buildings, some estimates run as high as 1 death per 500–1,000 jumps.
Why the gap? A skydiver leaves a plane with ~60 seconds and a reserve parachute. A BASE jumper leaves a 1,000-foot cliff with one canopy and 2 to 4 seconds to fix any mistake. That's not a hobby, that's a coin flip with a very short countdown.
🔮 Myth vs. Morty
Myth: "I've done a hundred jumps, I'm basically safe now." Probability has no memory. Each jump rolls the dice fresh; experience lowers the odds of error but never repeals gravity. The house always gets its turn.
Sources: British Journal of Sports Medicine (Kjerag study); USPA · Entertainment only — not medical advice.
Extreme sports death risk: what the evidence shows
Last reviewed · compiled by the ExpireOnDate editorial team · not medically reviewed
What the research shows
In 2023 the USPA recorded 10 civilian skydiving fatalities across approximately 3.65 million jumps in the US — about 0.27 fatalities per 100,000 jumps.
US civilian skydivers · United States · annual incident tracking and fatality summary · 2023 · United States Parachute Association
In 2024 nine people died skydiving in the US, a record annual low, continuing a decline from averages above 20 a year in the 2000s and 2010s and above 30 a year in the 1980s and 1990s.
US civilian skydivers · United States · annual fatality summary · 2024 · United States Parachute Association
In absolute terms
About 0.27 fatalities per 100,000 jumps is roughly one death per 370,000 jumps.
What it does not show
These figures come from the sport's own governing body rather than independent verification, and a precise 2024 rate is not available because total jump numbers for that year were not published. No cross-sport comparison is offered because comparable per-participation figures for other adventure sports could not be verified.
Every figure on this page describes a population, not a person. Associations measured across thousands of people cannot tell any individual how long they will live, and nothing here is medical advice. If something on this page concerns you, talk to a doctor rather than a comedy website.
References
- U.S. Skydiving Fatalities Hit Record Low in 2024. United States Parachute Association (2025). primary source; accessed 2026-08-15.
- A Widespread Improvement — The 2023 Fatality Summary. United States Parachute Association (2024). primary source; accessed 2026-08-15.
Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged and the review date updated.