Drowning Deaths Rose After 2019, and Half of U.S. Adults Never Took a Swim Lesson

By Tessa Clemens, Briana Moreland, Karin A. Mack, Karen Thomas, Gwen Bergen and Robin Lee, CDC. MMWR Vital Signs, posted May 14, 2024.

In brief

• Known: about 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning in the U.S. each year, with big gaps between groups.
• New: drowning death rates were higher in 2020, 2021 and 2022 than in 2019; and 55% of adults have never had a swimming lesson.
• So what: the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan recommends widening access to basic swimming and water safety training.

Swimming lessons in the U.S., by race and ethnicity. Graphic: CDC.

Who drowns

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1–4, among the top three causes of injury death at ages 5–34, and second-highest in adults 65 and older. Rates are highest among males and American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Black people. After decades of decline, rates rose and gaps widened with the COVID-19 pandemic, when people spent more time near water and supervised swimming was limited.

Death rates, 2019 to 2022

Per 100,000 people (age-adjusted):

• Sex: males 1.9–2.1, females 0.6–0.7.
• Young children (1–4): always highest; 3.1 in both 2021 (+28.9%) and 2022 (+28.3%).
• Older adults: rises among ages 65–74 in 2022 (1.8, +19.1%) and 85+ in 2021 (2.4, +49.8%).
• Teens and young adults: biggest 2020 jumps at ages 15–24 (+31.3%) and 25–34 (+21.1%).
• Race and ethnicity: highest among AI/AN (2.6–3.1) and Black people (1.5–1.9). Largest increases among Black people in 2020 (+22.2%) and 2021 (+28.3%), and Hispanic people in 2022 (+24.8%).

Swimming skills (2023 survey)

• Can't swim: about 40 million adults (15.4%) — 19.4% of women vs 11.2% of men; 18.6% of those 65+ vs 12.4% aged 18–29.
• By race: 36.8% of Black adults can't swim, vs 25.8% Hispanic, 22.4% other and 6.9% White.
• Lessons: 54.7% never had one. About 51.8% of White adults had, vs 36.9% of Black and 28.1% of Hispanic adults.
• Time near water (past 6 months): 51.2% visited a pool and 44.5% other water. Older and Black adults reported less exposure — so per-exposure risk in those groups is likely higher still.

Why, and what helps

• Young children: rates rose in 2021–2022. Protection: four-sided pool fencing; close, constant supervision; life jackets; and swim lessons as soon as a child is ready.
• Teens and adults: alcohol is a major risk — 31% of drowning deaths are attributable to it, and 25%–61% of people aged 15–34 report drinking around water.
• Older adults: rates have risen for decades, and many can't swim; more study is needed.
• Unequal access: segregated pools once gave Black Americans few, shallow places to swim; when integration was ordered, many pools closed and private clubs excluded Black members. Today, lack of a nearby pool is still a barrier, and the pandemic brought closures and lifeguard shortages.

The U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan (2023–2032) urges communities to build or revitalize public pools; offer affordable, accessible, culturally competent lessons; and hire and train diverse staff.

Limitations

Race may be misclassified; new Census methods may inflate the 85+ increase in 2021; circumstances of deaths were not analyzed; and the online survey may miss some groups.

Sources

Based on "Vital Signs: Drowning Death Rates, Self-Reported Swimming Skill, Swimming Lesson Participation, and Recreational Water Exposure — United States, 2019–2023," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; MMWR material is in the public domain.