World Drowning Prevention Day is held annually on the 25th of July.
An estimated 236,000 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years. More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells, domestic water storage vessels and swimming pools in low- and middle-income countries, with children and adolescents in rural areas disproportionately affected.
How you can stay safe around water
- Always supervise children in, on and around water
- Learn swimming, water safety and lifesaving skills
- Wear a lifejacket when boating, rock fishing or paddling
- Swim at a patrolled beach between the red and yellow flags
- Avoid alcohol and drugs around water
- Visit beachsafe.org before heading to the beach
WORLD DROWNING Facts
There are around
300,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.
Children aged under 5 years account for nearly a quarter of all drowning deaths.
Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1–4 years and the third leading cause of death for children aged 5–14 years.
Ninety-two percent of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
get involved: how you can join the campaign
Everything your club needs to take part in World Drowning Prevention Day - ready to download, copy, and share.
We've put together a free resource pack so you don't have to start from scratch. Download the PDF for the full toolkit: hero graphics in every format you'll need, ready-to-paste social captions, and the key facts behind the campaign - all in one place.
What's included:
- Social tiles and hero graphics (square, story, and landscape formats)
- A full bank of ready-to-use captions and post ideas
- Key water safety stats and messaging, sourced from WHO and the Global Alliance for Drowning Prevention
Global Strategy for Drowning Prevention: Turning the tide on a leading killer
This strategy responds to an urgent need to unite a diverse multisectoral and multistakeholder audience through shared goals and a coordinated effort to meet the drowning challenge in all its forms. It offers a global-to-local approach, with affected people and populations at the centre of all decisions. This strategy, the first ever for the global drowning prevention community, aims to:
- strengthen coordination and alignment of global, regional, national and local-level drowning prevention efforts, as called for in UN and WHA resolutions;
- develop a shared purpose, goals and response, and set targets;
- design and deliver effective interventions that address priority risk factors for drowning;
- help countries identify multisectoral partners for effective collaboration that addresses the broad scope of drowning risks;
- promote efficient use of resources (including pooling resources) across related sectors and agendas; and
- promote standardized evidence-informed approaches to reducing drowning deaths, and their scale-up, tailored to local needs.