Research
Deaths from drowning: The facts
Summary
With the summer months approachingit’s important to stay safe around water. Like with other injury deathsacross the boardboys and men are more likely to die by drowning. The gender gap in drowning deaths can be attributed to a number of causesincluding risk-taking behavior. Small actions during the summerlike closer supervision of children or swimming with others rather than alonecan help prevent potential drownings.
Key takeaways
- Men have consistently been at higher risk of drowning. The unintentional drowning death rate for men and women in 2023 was about 2 and 0.6 per 100,000respectively.
- Men are more likely to drown across all age groupswith the gap widest among young men. Drowning is the leading cause of death for both boys and girls ages 1 to 4.
- Men are more likely to drown across racewith men being about three times to five times more likely to die by drowning.
Summer is comingand along with it plenty of outdoor activities. Play is good. But it is important to be aware of associated risks tooincluding drowning.
The summer months are when drowning deaths peakespecially for boys and menas figure 1 shows. In July 2023540 men and 160 women died from unintentional drowning.
Figure 1
Data noteData used in this research brief was primarily taken from CDC WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System)which collects data on fatal injuries by various demographic characteristics over time. Monthly drowning data was collected from the CDC Provisional Mortality Statistics through CDC WONDER. Drownings include water transport-related incidents.
There is a big gender gap in the risk of death from drowning. In 2023there were about 4,300 unintentional drownings in the United Stateswith boys and men making up 76% of these deaths. This is consistent with the greater risk of death shown in our earlier work from a range of injuries and causes including suicidehomicideand drug overdose.
Unlike other injury deaths like drug overdosesdrownings have not noticeably increased in recent years. In 2001the age-adjusted unintentional drowning rate per 100,000 population for men and women was 2 and 0.5respectively; in 2023the rates were 2 and 0.6. While we should try our best to prevent drownings for both men and womenthe disproportionate risk for boys and men merits closer scrutiny—both to raise awareness and to guide prevention efforts more effectively.
Boys and men at higher risk
Drowning deaths vary considerably by agewith the oldest men at the highest relative riskas figure 2 shows.
Figure 2
The risks are broadly similar for girls and women—highest at the tails of the age range—but the gender gap is widest among young men and women: men aged 10-19 are almost six times as likely to unintentionally drown compared to their female peerswhile men aged 20-29 are at five times higher risk. This is consistent with higher risk-taking in this age group.
But it is important to note that there is a noticeable gap even in earliest ages: even among children under 10boys are twice as likely to drown as girls—around 2 and 1 per 100,000respectively. In factdrowning is the second leading injury death for boys younger than 10 yearsas shown in figure 3. Among 1-4 year-oldsdrowning is the leading cause of death for both boys and girlsand still twice as high for boys.
Figure 3
Rates of drowning vary by racewith especially high risks for the American-Indian/Alaska-Native populationas shown in figure 4. The gender gap is fairly consistent across racial groupswith boys and men being about three times to five times more likely to die by drowningcompared to women of the same race.
Figure 4
Staying safe this summer
The gender gap in drowning deaths is not limited to the United Statesimplying more widespread causes. The gap can attributed to a number of causesmost notably:
- Risk-taking behavior: In generalmen are more likely to engage in risky behaviorwhich can be seen by the significantly larger number of male injury deaths. Regarding drowning specificallyboys and men are more likely to report swimming in natural bodies of waterswimming at nightand swimming alone.
- Alcohol usage: Alcohol use was involved in about 70% of water recreational deaths. Furthermoremen are more likely to have drank alcohol during their aquatic activity.
- Exposure: Boys and men are more likely to report aquatic activity and activity involving submersion under water than women and girlsgiving more scope for accidents.
There are various ways for parents and other adults to lower the likelihood of drowning. Simple actions like close supervision of childrenwearing a life jacket and using a buddy system when swimming can help prevent accidents. Avoiding alcohol and paying close attention to the effects of certain prescribed drugs can also help.
It is important not to overstate the risks. The overall age-adjusted death rate from drowning is about 1.3 per 100,000compared to about 13 deaths per 100,000 for deaths related to motor vehicle accidents. Nonetheless it is good for us allincluding parentsto be aware of the risksespecially for boys and men.
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