Drowning Quick Facts

In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury related death for children ages 1-4. Drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury related death from birth to 54 years old.
In addition to fatal drownings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that in 2016 an additional 9,000+ victims were seen at U.S. Emergency Departments for a non-fatal submersion injury.
23% of child drownings happen during a family gathering near a pool.
Lack of barriers around water contribute to a majority of drowning deaths.
Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for 1-4 year olds who take formal swim lessons.
No one is drown-proof and drowning doesn’t discriminate.
Drug and alcohol use can be large contributing variables to drowning risk.
Drowning is the cause of death for most boating fatalities.
It is estimated that for every fatal drowning victim, another 5 to 10 victims receives hospital related care for non-fatal drowning injuries.
Drowning is fast and silent. It can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds. Drowning doesn’t always look like we would expect.
We believe that to prevent drowning, a multitude of safety strategies should be in place to reduce risk. The NDPA utilizes an approach referred to as “Layers of Protection”.