A significant number of UFO enthusiasts have long been perplexed on alien existence whether they are true or not and more people are reporting sightings of spaceships and UFOs than ever before. Since the first UFO sighting has been recorded in 1905, data from the National UFO Reporting Centre (NUFORC) shows that there have already been 104,947 UFO sightings recorded to date. And since the 1990s, the number of other-worldly sightings has shot up from 10,000 to 45,000 a year, but the question is, why are the figures continuously rising?

UFO Sightings On The Rise

According to reports revealed by Thrillist, the data that has been obtained allegedly came from a single source and doesn't directly offer exact reasons as to why the rise is happening, but there are plenty of reasonable assumptions that can be made. Say for example, the increased prevalence of drones, military aircraft, commercial aircraft, and satellites, among a host of other reasons, could most likely be considered as a reason for a portion of the rise. Additionally, the emergence of the internet and smartphones has also made it easier to know where and how to report sightings, as well as it makes it easier to take a photo of your otherworldly encounter.

Furthermore, in one of his statements reported by the Daily Mail, statistician Sam Monfort, a PhD student at George Mason University in Virginia, has also revealed that one of the first recorded UFO sightings comes from Portland in 1905, where a 'buzzing,' sphere-shaped UFO has reportedly descended from the clouds. It was found that the nation has collectively reported 2,500 sightings per 10 million people, which is 300 times more than the global median. Moreover, Monfort thinks that the rise of internet connectivity has contributed a lot to the number of sightings since you need to have Internet access to submit a report, after all, he adds.

Monfort's UFO Map

Meanwhile, an interesting piece of Monfort's visualization are said to be the maps showing where UFO sightings are usually reported. Monfort says that among the countries that reportedly sees the most number of speculated UFO sightings, you will notice Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Scandinavian nations to be present most of the times. However, although NUFORC's data is quite interesting, Monfort explains that it's most likely not to be considered as a sign that aliens are preparing the planet for invasion.