Children ages 1–4 have the highest drowning rates. Most drownings in children 1–4 happen in swimming pools. Drowning can happen anytime, including when children are not expected to be near water, such as when they gain unsupervised access to pools. Fatal drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death behind motor vehicle crashes for children ages 1–14.

 

• More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects.

•  For children ages 1–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.

• Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, especially to unsupervised children. It happens in lakes and oceans, pools, bathtubs, and even buckets of water

•  Among infants under 1 year old, two thirds of all drownings occur in bathtubs. Most drownings happen in home swimming pools among children ages 1–4. More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among people 15 years and older occur in natural waters like lakes, rivers, or oceans

• The highest risk locations for drowning vary by age. Among infants under 1 year old, two thirds of all drownings occur in bathtubs. Most drownings happen in home swimming pools among children ages 1–4. More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among people 15 years and older occur in natural waters like lakes, rivers, or oceans.

• An average of 3,957 unintentional drowning deaths occurred each year from 2010–2019

 

Every year in the United States there are an estimated:

• 3960 fatal unintentional drownings, including boating-related drowning—that is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.

• 8080 nonfatal drownings—that is an average of 22 nonfatal drownings per day.

• For every child who dies from drowning, another eight receive emergency department care for non-fatal drowning.

• More than 40% of drownings treated in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with 8% for all unintentional injuries).

• Drowning injuries can cause brain damage and other serious outcomes, including long-term disability.

• An average 8,080 estimated emergency department visits due to non-fatal drowning occurred each year from 2010–2019 (excludes boating-related non-fatal drowning).

Factors that make drowning more likely:

• Not being able to swim

• Missing or ineffective fences around water

• Drinking Alcohol

• Using drugs and prescription medications

• Not wearing life jackets

• Lack of close supervision

• People with seizure disorders or certain medical condition

 

https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html

 

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