Drowning Facts

Know the facts to prevent drownings!

• Drowning Facts:

  • There are over 4,500 unintentional drowning deaths each year in the United States.
  • Drowning is fast and silent and can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds.
  • Even good swimmers can drown. It can happen when you least expect it, and it may not happen as you expect based on TV and movies.
  • There is no single method or intervention that can eliminate this risk of drowning. However, the risk can be substantially reduced by practicing evidence-based water safety strategies throughout the lifespan. Click here to learn more.
  • Drowning costs the U.S. economy over $50+ Billion Dollars per year.

• Fatal Drowning Facts:

  • According to the CDC, drowning is the single leading cause of death for children ages 1-4. No other single cause of death kills more toddlers and young children than drowning.
  • Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in children ages 5-14 following motor vehicle crashes. This age group sees high disparities in drowning rates among African American and Black children.
    The drowning rate for males at age 15 nearly tripes. Drowning is the third leading cause of injury death for ages 15-24, following
  • Drowning remains in the top 4 causes of unintentional deaths until age 55.
  • The CDC reported that when comparing 2020-2022 (most recent data) to 2019, children ages 1-4’s drowning rate increased by 28%. African American & Black People drowning rate increased by 28%, and older adults aged 65-74 drowning rate increased by 19%,
  • American Indian & Alaskan Native people have the highest overall drowning rate by race. Though their rates did not increase in recent years, they remain the highest overall drowning rate by race. View more information on drowning and race from the CDC by clicking here.
    

• Non-Fatal Drowning Facts:

  • Drowning doesn’t always result in death. Drowning can cause hypoxic brain injury with moderate to severe impacts on quality of life and health outcomes. 
  • Nearly 40% of drownings treated in emergency departments require hospitalization, transfer, or further care (compared with 10% for all unintentional injuries).
  • For every fatal childhood drowning, another 7 to 8 receive emergency department care for non-fatal drowning.

• Drowning Facts By Age & Location:

  • Nearly 70% of toddler drownings occur during non-swim time (Source: Safe Kids Worldwide). 
  • 88% of children drown with at least 1 adult present (Source: Safe Kids Worldwide).
  • Over 75 percent of all bathtub and shower-related fatalities occur among children under five, and 90 percent of the injuries and deaths occur when these young children are not being supervised by a responsible adult (Source: CPSC).
  • Infants are more likely to drown in the home. Particularly in bathtubs, but buckets, doggie bowls, toilets and other items containing water can also cause risk.
  • Children ages 1-4 are more likely to drown in pools or other water bodies near home or location, such as a canal, retention pond, lake, river, or other water body. 
  • African American & Black Children ages 5-14 drown in pools at significantly higher rates than their same-aged peers.
  • Most teenage and adult drownings happen in natural and open waters such as lakes, rivers, ponds, and oceans.
  • Children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities are at a significantly higher risk of drowning.

*Drowning data includes water transport and boating-related fatalities.
*Drowning data is based on CDC National Vital Statistics System (V90, V92, W65-W74).
*All sources are from CDC unless otherwise noted.