🏊‍♀️ Global drowning deaths have decreased by 38 percent since 2000

• WHO has published its first report on drowning prevention, showing a reduction in global mortality by 38 percent since 2000.
• Progress has been unevenly distributed globally. Europe experienced a 68% reduction in mortality while Africa only decreased by 3%.
• WHO advocates several community-based actions to prevent drowning, including installation of barriers to prevent children's access to water and training in rescue and resuscitation.

WHO's first report shows significant progress

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first global report on drowning prevention. The report shows a decrease in the global drowning mortality rate by 38 percent since 2000, which represents a significant improvement for global public health.

“The significant decline in drowning deaths since 2000 is great news and proof that the simple, practical interventions that WHO recommends work,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Uneven progress between regions

Progress has been unevenly distributed globally. Nine out of ten drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO European Region experienced a 68 percent reduction in mortality between 2000 and 2021, while mortality in the WHO African Region only decreased by 3 percent during the same period.

The African Region has the highest mortality among all regions with 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Only 15 percent of countries in this region have a national strategy or plan to prevent drowning, compared to 45 percent of countries in the European Region.

Effective measures to prevent drowning

If current trends continue, more than 7.2 million people, mainly children, could die from drowning by 2050. Most of these deaths could be prevented by implementing WHO's recommended measures.

WHO advocates several community-based actions to prevent drowning, including:

• Installation of barriers to prevent children's access to water
• Provision of safe places away from water for preschool children
• Teaching basic swimming and water safety to school children
• Training in rescue and resuscitation
• Improved public awareness about drowning
• Implementation and enforcement of safety regulations for boats and ferries
• Improved flood risk management

Varying implementation of preventive measures

The report shows that 73 percent of countries have search and rescue services, and an equal number of countries implement community-based programs to reduce flood risks. However, only 33 percent of countries offer national programs to train the public in safe rescue and resuscitation, and just 22 percent integrate swimming and water safety education into their school curricula.

Regarding legislation, 81 percent of countries have laws on passenger safety for boat travel, but only 44 percent of these laws require regular safety inspections of boats. Additionally, 86 percent of countries lack laws on fencing around swimming pools, which is important to prevent child drowning in certain environments.

This report was developed in response to a request from member states through the World Health Assembly resolution 76.18 (2023) and summarizes progress and challenges in drowning prevention at the global level.