  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 by including the {\it look-elsewhere effect} for the
first time. We estimate the trial-factor with pseudo-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 $4.3$ standard deviations.
