  Motivated by deviations with respect to Standard Model predictions in $b\to
s\ell^+\ell^-$ decays, we evaluate the global significance of the new physics
hypothesis in this system, including the look-elsewhere effect for the first
time. We estimate the trial-factor with psuedo-experiments and find that it can
be as large as seven. We calculate the global significance for the new physics
hypothesis by considering the most general description of a non-standard $b\to
s\ell^+\ell^-$ amplitude of short-distance origin. Theoretical uncertainties
are treated in a highly conservative way by absorbing the corresponding effects
into a redefinition of the Standard Model amplitude. Using the most recent
measurements of LHCb, ATLAS and CMS, we obtain the global significance to be
$3.9$ standard deviations.
