Drowning deaths decline globally but the vulnerable remain at risk
The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first-ever report on drowning prevention which reveals a 38 per cent drop in the global drowning death rate since 2000—a major global health achievement. However, the report notes that drowning remains a major public health issue with more than 30 people estimated to be drowning every hour and 300 000 people dying by drowning in 2021 alone.
Almost half of all drowning deaths occur among people below the age of 29 years, and a quarter occurs among children under the age of 5 years. Children without adult supervision are at an especially high risk of drowning. “The significant decline in drowning deaths since 2000 is great news and proof that the simple, practical interventions that WHO recommends work”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Still, every drowning death is one death too many, and millions of people remain at risk. This report contains crucial data for policymaking and recommendations for urgent action to save lives”, he added.
Progress in reducing drowning has been uneven. At the global level, nine in 10 drowning deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO European Region saw a 68 per cent drop in drowning death rate between 2000 and 2021, yet the rate fell by just 3 per cent in the WHO African Region, which has the highest rate of any region with 5.6 deaths per 100 000 people. This may be influenced by the levels of national commitment to address the issue. Within the African Region, only 15 per cent of countries had a national strategy or plan for drowning prevention, compared to 45 per cent of countries in the European region.
In the Region of the Americas, drowning is the seventh leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 14. In 2021, more than 17,000 drowning deaths were recorded, representing 6 per cent of the global burden of deaths from this cause. The mortality rate in the region was 1.6 per 100,000 inhabitants that year. Although mortality has decreased by 38 per cent between 2000 and 2021, progress has been slow and varies considerably between countries. “Drowning continues to be a major public health issue, but progress is possible, particularly if governments work with strong partners at the local level”, said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and 108th mayor of New York City. “For more than a decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported governments and local organizations that are leading effective drowning prevention efforts. This new report shows what more countries can do to help save thousands of lives every year”.
More than 7.2 million people, mainly children, could die by drowning by the year 2050 if current trends continue. Yet most drowning deaths could be prevented by implementing WHO-recommended interventions. WHO recommends a series of community-based actions for drowning prevention, which include: the installation of barriers to prevent child access to water; provision of safe places away from water for preschool children, teaching school-aged children basic swimming water safety.
