Drowning data
Drowning in the United States
CDC death-certificate data on unintentional drowning in the United States, from 1999 to 2024, the latest final year.
Drowning deaths in 2024
4,540
Including boating-related drowning
CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), final data
Excluding boating, 2024
4,201
ICD-10 W65-W74
CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), final data
Death rate, 2024
1.29
Per 100,000 people, age-adjusted, including boating
Key takeaways
- In 2024, 4,540 people in the United States died from unintentional drowning, counting boating-related drowning. Without boating, the count was 4,201. (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 2024)
- The age-adjusted death rate was 1.29 per 100,000 people in 2024: lower than 1.45 in 1999, and higher than 1.22 in 2019. (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 1999-2024)
- The most drowning deaths in any year since 1999 came in 2021: 4,677. (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 2021)
- Drowning peaks in summer. In 2024, July had the most deaths (772) and December the fewest (188). (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 2024)
- Natural water was the most common known place of drowning in 2024 (2,058 deaths), followed by swimming pools (881). (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 2024)
- Males drowned at a much higher rate than females: 2.01 versus 0.60 per 100,000 in 2024 (age-adjusted). (CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab), 2024)
Drowning deaths and rates over time
Two lines, because CDC uses two definitions. The wider one (teal) adds drowning in boating accidents and is the one behind CDC’s headline numbers.
Drowning deaths per year, 1999-2024
United States residents, final data
- Including boating (W65-W74, V90, V92)
- Excluding boating (W65-W74)
1999-2017 come from the 1999-2020 database and 2018 onward from the 2018-2024 single-race database (the two agree for national totals).
Source: CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
Show the data table
| Year | Deaths, including boating (W65-W74, V90, V92) | Deaths, excluding boating (W65-W74) | U.S. population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4,030 | 3,529 | 279,040,168 |
| 2000 | 3,948 | 3,482 | 281,421,906 |
| 2001 | 3,694 | 3,281 | 284,968,955 |
| 2002 | 3,860 | 3,447 | 287,625,193 |
| 2003 | 3,718 | 3,306 | 290,107,933 |
| 2004 | 3,729 | 3,308 | 292,805,298 |
| 2005 | 3,976 | 3,582 | 295,516,599 |
| 2006 | 3,930 | 3,579 | 298,379,912 |
| 2007 | 3,792 | 3,443 | 301,231,207 |
| 2008 | 3,858 | 3,548 | 304,093,966 |
| 2009 | 3,846 | 3,517 | 306,771,529 |
| 2010 | 4,038 | 3,782 | 308,745,538 |
| 2011 | 3,961 | 3,556 | 311,591,917 |
| 2012 | 3,865 | 3,551 | 313,914,040 |
| 2013 | 3,701 | 3,391 | 316,128,839 |
| 2014 | 3,706 | 3,406 | 318,857,056 |
| 2015 | 3,956 | 3,602 | 321,418,820 |
| 2016 | 4,160 | 3,786 | 323,127,513 |
| 2017 | 4,067 | 3,709 | 325,719,178 |
| 2018 | 4,045 | 3,710 | 327,167,434 |
| 2019 | 4,067 | 3,692 | 328,239,523 |
| 2020 | 4,589 | 4,177 | 329,484,123 |
| 2021 | 4,677 | 4,337 | 331,893,745 |
| 2022 | 4,509 | 4,168 | 333,287,557 |
| 2023 | 4,310 | 3,983 | 334,914,895 |
| 2024 | 4,540 | 4,201 | 340,110,988 |
Drowning death rate per 100,000 people, 1999-2024
Age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population
- Including boating
- Excluding boating
Age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Source: CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
Show the data table
| Year | Rate per 100,000, including boating | 95% confidence interval, including boating | Rate per 100,000, excluding boating | 95% confidence interval, excluding boating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.45 | 1.41 to 1.50 | 1.26 | 1.22 to 1.30 |
| 2000 | 1.39 | 1.35 to 1.44 | 1.23 | 1.19 to 1.27 |
| 2001 | 1.27 | 1.23 to 1.31 | 1.13 | 1.09 to 1.17 |
| 2002 | 1.34 | 1.30 to 1.39 | 1.19 | 1.15 to 1.23 |
| 2003 | 1.26 | 1.22 to 1.31 | 1.14 | 1.10 to 1.17 |
| 2004 | 1.27 | 1.23 to 1.32 | 1.14 | 1.10 to 1.18 |
| 2005 | 1.34 | 1.29 to 1.38 | 1.20 | 1.16 to 1.24 |
| 2006 | 1.33 | 1.29 to 1.37 | 1.19 | 1.15 to 1.23 |
| 2007 | 1.25 | 1.21 to 1.29 | 1.16 | 1.12 to 1.20 |
| 2008 | 1.27 | 1.23 to 1.31 | 1.15 | 1.11 to 1.19 |
| 2009 | 1.24 | 1.20 to 1.28 | 1.14 | 1.10 to 1.17 |
| 2010 | 1.31 | 1.26 to 1.35 | 1.22 | 1.18 to 1.26 |
| 2011 | 1.28 | 1.24 to 1.32 | 1.14 | 1.10 to 1.18 |
| 2012 | 1.20 | 1.17 to 1.24 | 1.11 | 1.07 to 1.15 |
| 2013 | 1.15 | 1.11 to 1.19 | 1.05 | 1.02 to 1.09 |
| 2014 | 1.14 | 1.10 to 1.18 | 1.06 | 1.03 to 1.10 |
| 2015 | 1.19 | 1.15 to 1.23 | 1.08 | 1.04 to 1.11 |
| 2016 | 1.27 | 1.23 to 1.31 | 1.15 | 1.11 to 1.19 |
| 2017 | 1.24 | 1.20 to 1.28 | 1.14 | 1.11 to 1.18 |
| 2018 | 1.20 | 1.17 to 1.24 | 1.13 | 1.09 to 1.16 |
| 2019 | 1.22 | 1.18 to 1.26 | 1.11 | 1.07 to 1.15 |
| 2020 | 1.35 | 1.31 to 1.39 | 1.25 | 1.21 to 1.29 |
| 2021 | 1.39 | 1.35 to 1.43 | 1.30 | 1.26 to 1.34 |
| 2022 | 1.33 | 1.30 to 1.37 | 1.19 | 1.16 to 1.23 |
| 2023 | 1.26 | 1.22 to 1.30 | 1.16 | 1.12 to 1.20 |
| 2024 | 1.29 | 1.25 to 1.33 | 1.20 | 1.17 to 1.24 |
When drownings happen
Deaths climb in late spring, peak in summer and fall in winter, year after year.
Drowning deaths by month, 2024 compared with 2018-2023
Including boating-related drowning
- 2024
- 2018-2023
Deaths by month of death. WONDER gives no monthly population, so there are no monthly rates.
Source: CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
Show the data table
| Month | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 195 | 190 | 191 | 223 | 181 | 211 | 211 |
| February | 174 | 160 | 200 | 204 | 193 | 207 | 211 |
| March | 229 | 231 | 252 | 274 | 282 | 254 | 257 |
| April | 276 | 280 | 274 | 329 | 296 | 310 | 294 |
| May | 431 | 447 | 523 | 470 | 510 | 438 | 519 |
| June | 603 | 561 | 663 | 726 | 691 | 554 | 720 |
| July | 715 | 737 | 839 | 748 | 790 | 761 | 772 |
| August | 509 | 492 | 593 | 630 | 522 | 518 | 556 |
| September | 328 | 348 | 404 | 438 | 374 | 379 | 362 |
| October | 263 | 246 | 275 | 259 | 255 | 261 | 254 |
| November | 167 | 195 | 198 | 185 | 214 | 207 | 196 |
| December | 155 | 180 | 177 | 191 | 201 | 210 | 188 |
Where drownings happen
The place comes from the ICD-10 code on the death certificate. Many deaths are coded as “unspecified”, so the pool and natural-water counts are not complete counts of drownings in those places.
Drowning deaths by place, 2024
United States, final data
The combined column is a separate CDC WONDER query for all years together, not a sum made by us. Many deaths are coded "unspecified", so the place is unknown for a share of deaths.
Source: CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
Show the data table
| Place | ICD-10 codes | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2018-2024 combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural water (lakes, rivers, oceans) | W69, W70 | 1,770 | 1,816 | 2,143 | 2,136 | 2,001 | 1,927 | 2,058 | 13,851 |
| Swimming pool | W67, W68 | 746 | 747 | 740 | 841 | 840 | 821 | 881 | 5,616 |
| Bathtub | W65, W66 | 536 | 571 | 642 | 698 | 732 | 715 | 739 | 4,633 |
| Other or unspecified place | W73, W74 | 658 | 558 | 652 | 662 | 595 | 520 | 523 | 4,168 |
| Boating-related (water transport) | V90, V92 | 335 | 375 | 412 | 340 | 341 | 327 | 339 | 2,469 |
Males drown at a higher rate
Drowning death rate by sex, 2018-2024
Per 100,000, age-adjusted, including boating
- Male
- Female
Including boating-related drowning (W65-W74, V90, V92). Age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Source: CDC WONDER (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
Show the data table
| Year | Male deaths | Male rate per 100,000 | Female deaths | Female rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3,102 | 1.90 | 943 | 0.53 |
| 2019 | 3,114 | 1.89 | 953 | 0.57 |
| 2020 | 3,549 | 2.13 | 1,040 | 0.62 |
| 2021 | 3,540 | 2.13 | 1,137 | 0.69 |
| 2022 | 3,396 | 2.01 | 1,113 | 0.64 |
| 2023 | 3,288 | 1.95 | 1,022 | 0.58 |
| 2024 | 3,485 | 2.01 | 1,055 | 0.60 |
Newest numbers: 2025 (provisional)
CDC’s provisional count for 2025 is 4,310 drowning deaths including boating (3,998 without boating). These numbers are provisional and will change as death records are completed, so they are not in the charts above.
Provisional drowning deaths, 2025
| Definition | Year | Status | Deaths | Age-adjusted rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Including boating (W65-W74, V90, V92) | 2024 | Final (for comparison) | 4,540 | 1.29 |
| Including boating (W65-W74, V90, V92) | 2025 | Provisional | 4,310 | 1.22 |
| Excluding boating (W65-W74) | 2024 | Final (for comparison) | 4,201 | 1.20 |
| Excluding boating (W65-W74) | 2025 | Provisional | 3,998 | 1.14 |
Provisional counts come from CDC WONDER Provisional Mortality Statistics and will change as death records are completed.
Source: CDC WONDER (provisional) (opens in a new tab). Retrieved .
What CDC says
Every year in the United States there are an estimated 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings, an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.
CDC’s yearly figures count boating-related drowning too. Its footnoted averages match the wider definition in the charts above.
Methodology
- What counts as a drowning death
- CDC counts deaths by the underlying cause on the death certificate, using ICD-10 codes. W65-W74 is unintentional drowning and submersion (bathtub, pool, natural water, other and unspecified). V90 and V92 add drowning in boating and other water-transport accidents. CDC’s headline figures use W65-W74 plus V90 and V92, so most charts here show that wider definition and say so.
- Rates
- A rate is deaths per 100,000 people. Age-adjusted rates remove the effect of a population getting older or younger, so years and groups can be compared fairly. CDC age-adjusts to the 2000 U.S. standard population. An age-group rate is deaths per 100,000 people in that age group.
- Suppressed and unreliable values
- CDC WONDER hides counts of 1 to 9 deaths to protect privacy, and does not publish a rate that is too unstable to trust. We show these as "Suppressed" or "Unreliable", never as a number or a zero. "Not applicable" means there is no population figure, so no rate exists.
- Final and provisional data
- Final data for a year are released once all death certificates are in. Provisional numbers come out sooner and change. We label provisional numbers every time we show them, and never mix them into a final trend line.
- Where deaths are counted
- CDC counts U.S. residents by where they lived, not where the drowning happened.
- Two CDC databases
- Years 1999-2017 come from CDC WONDER’s 1999-2020 database and 2018 onward from its 2018-2024 single-race database, which is CDC’s current series. For 2018-2020 the two give the same national deaths, population and rates; they differ only for race groups.
Data last checked . We copy numbers exactly as the source publishes them. We do not estimate, model or add up numbers. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will check it against the source.
Sources
- CDC WONDER: Underlying Cause of Death (final data, 1999-2024) (opens in a new tab) CDC, National Center for Health Statistics
- CDC WONDER: Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020 (opens in a new tab) CDC, National Center for Health Statistics
- CDC WONDER: Provisional Mortality Statistics (opens in a new tab) CDC, National Center for Health Statistics
- Drowning Facts (opens in a new tab) CDC
- Underlying Cause of Death documentation (suppression and reliability rules) (opens in a new tab) CDC WONDER
What you can do today
- Make a family water safety plan
Pick a water watcher, set the rules and know what to do in an emergency.
- Check your home for water hazards
Bathtubs, buckets and pools: the layers of protection for young children.
- Find swimming lessons near you
It is never too late to learn. Lessons help children and adults.
- Learn the signs of drowning
Drowning is often quiet. Know what it looks like and what to do.