Drowning deaths worldwide each year (approximate)
300,000
WHO: “There are around 300 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.”
WHO fact sheet (opens in a new tab), 2026
WHO estimate for 2023
324,000
Modeled estimate, rounded
WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Bangladesh, age-standardized rate
7.19
Per 100,000 people, 2023
WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab)

Key takeaways

WHO: “There are around 300 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.” (WHO fact sheet (opens in a new tab), 2026)
WHO: “Ninety-two percent of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.” (WHO fact sheet (opens in a new tab), 2026)
WHO estimates 324,000 drowning deaths worldwide in 2023, down from 461,000 in 2000. (WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab), 2023)
The most estimated drowning deaths in 2023 were among males aged 15-29 (54,000). Among females, the most were among those aged 1-59 months (20,000). (WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab), 2023)
Bangladesh’s age-standardized drowning death rate was 7.19 per 100,000 in 2023, the highest of the eight South Asian countries shown. (WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab), 2023)

Drowning worldwide since 2000

WHO publishes these estimates for selected years only, so the points are not evenly spaced.

Estimated drowning deaths worldwide, 2000-2023

WHO Global Health Estimates, rounded

Modeled WHO estimates, rounded the way WHO prints them. WHO publishes these years only. Not comparable with earlier WHO releases or the fact sheet.

Source: WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab). Retrieved October 18, 2026.

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Estimated drowning deaths worldwide, 2000-2023 (WHO)
Year	Deaths, both sexes (rounded)	Male (rounded)	Female (rounded)
2000	461,000	309,000	152,000
2010	376,000	262,000	114,000
2015	342,000	237,000	104,000
2019	322,000	226,000	97,000
2020	302,000	210,000	92,000
2021	320,000	222,000	98,000
2022	334,000	233,000	100,000
2023	324,000	230,000	94,000

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Who drowns: age and sex

WHO: “The drowning death rate among males is more than twice as high as females.”

Estimated drowning deaths by age and sex, 2023

Worldwide, WHO Global Health Estimates, rounded

Male
Female

Modeled WHO estimates, rounded the way WHO prints them.

Source: WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab). Retrieved October 18, 2026.

Show the data table

Estimated drowning deaths worldwide by age and sex, 2023 (WHO)
Age group	Male (rounded)	Female (rounded)
Newborns (0-28 days)	380	180
1-59 months	26,000	20,000
5-14	44,000	19,000
15-29	54,000	10,000
30-49	49,000	11,000
50-59	19,000	6,600
60-69	15,000	7,200
70 and older	22,000	19,000

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South Asia and Bangladesh

The Amin family is Bangladeshi-American. This chart highlights Bangladesh among its South Asian neighbors. Rates are age-standardized, so countries with younger or older populations can be compared.

Drowning death rates in South Asia, 2023

Age-standardized rate per 100,000 people, WHO estimates

Age-standardized to the WHO standard population. Not comparable with CDC age-adjusted rates.

Source: WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab). Retrieved October 18, 2026.

Show the data table

Drowning in South Asia: WHO estimates, 2023
Country	ISO code	Age-standardized rate per 100,000, 2023	Male rate, 2023	Female rate, 2023	Estimated deaths, 2023 (rounded)	Age-standardized rate, 2000
Afghanistan	AFG	3.88	7.14	0.79	2,000	4.86
Bangladesh	BGD	7.19	6.64	7.40	10,000	20.75
Bhutan	BTN	3.52	4.56	2.39	24	2.91
India	IND	5.26	7.10	3.41	69,000	8.16
Maldives	MDV	4.72	7.32	1.24	20	10.31
Nepal	NPL	5.44	7.42	3.79	1,200	8.10
Pakistan	PAK	5.87	7.70	4.05	14,000	9.51
Sri Lanka	LKA	4.30	7.49	1.54	910	7.76

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For comparison, WHO’s 2023 estimate for the United States is 1.16 per 100,000. WHO’s methods and definition differ from CDC’s, so for U.S. numbers we use CDC data everywhere else on this site.

Every country

Drowning death rates and estimated deaths by country, 2023

WHO estimates for 185 countries. Type a country name to filter the table.

Drowning death rates and estimated deaths by country, 2023 (WHO)
Country	ISO code	Age-standardized rate per 100,000, 2023	Male rate, 2023	Female rate, 2023	Estimated deaths, 2023 (rounded)	Age-standardized rate, 2000
Afghanistan	AFG	3.88	7.14	0.79	2,000	4.86
Albania	ALB	1.69	2.64	0.77	47	3.81
Algeria	DZA	1.27	2.05	0.48	620	2.98
Angola	AGO	8.68	14.49	3.30	3,200	14.84
Antigua and Barbuda	ATG	1.56	4.47	0.25	1	6.15
Argentina	ARG	0.80	1.34	0.28	350	2.34
Armenia	ARM	1.21	2.44	0.25	34	2.32
Australia	AUS	0.74	1.11	0.39	200	1.31
Austria	AUT	0.52	0.83	0.24	54	1.09
Azerbaijan	AZE	3.94	6.22	1.76	390	4.74
Bahamas	BHS	6.79	11.53	2.45	28	8.33
Bahrain	BHR	0.40	0.43	0.40	5	1.46
Bangladesh	BGD	7.19	6.64	7.40	10,000	20.75
Barbados	BRB	1.89	3.15	0.77	5	4.54
Belarus	BLR	4.84	8.90	1.22	470	17.09
Belgium	BEL	0.45	0.75	0.20	62	0.67
Belize	BLZ	8.17	12.87	3.44	33	8.11
Benin	BEN	8.88	13.23	5.05	1,100	11.82
Bhutan	BTN	3.52	4.56	2.39	24	2.91
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	BOL	4.44	7.61	1.51	460	6.27
Bosnia and Herzegovina	BIH	0.45	0.74	0.19	17	0.62
Botswana	BWA	3.00	5.07	1.11	73	4.45
Brazil	BRA	2.82	4.99	0.75	6,100	3.95
Brunei Darussalam	BRN	1.13	1.72	0.44	6	3.23
Bulgaria	BGR	1.56	2.57	0.61	110	2.95
Burkina Faso	BFA	8.88	13.10	5.68	1,300	11.40
Burundi	BDI	12.08	18.26	6.77	1,500	18.81
Cabo Verde	CPV	8.79	15.37	2.70	39	13.80
Cambodia	KHM	9.26	14.39	4.61	1,500	14.70
Cameroon	CMR	8.01	11.43	4.90	2,100	10.16
Canada	CAN	0.88	1.32	0.46	350	0.97
Central African Republic	CAF	16.84	27.92	8.33	690	17.99
Chad	TCD	10.59	14.21	7.30	1,700	13.19
Chile	CHL	1.53	2.62	0.47	310	3.56
China	CHN	4.39	5.84	2.84	57,000	9.76
Colombia	COL	1.64	2.90	0.45	860	3.12
Comoros	COM	5.32	8.27	2.65	29	11.25
Congo	COG	6.37	10.30	2.57	340	8.32
Costa Rica	CRI	2.48	4.46	0.54	130	3.27
Côte d'Ivoire	CIV	9.69	13.94	5.45	2,600	9.73
Croatia	HRV	1.62	2.33	0.99	74	2.36
Cuba	CUB	2.93	5.41	0.48	310	2.56
Cyprus	CYP	1.22	1.41	1.02	17	2.67
Czechia	CZE	1.10	1.61	0.60	130	2.10
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	PRK	3.91	5.19	2.59	940	10.67
Democratic Republic of the Congo	COD	9.69	15.12	4.50	11,000	10.47
Denmark	DNK	0.47	0.77	0.19	33	0.62
Djibouti	DJI	7.10	10.69	4.04	54	2.56
Dominican Republic	DOM	3.18	5.66	0.77	380	2.31
Ecuador	ECU	3.08	5.43	0.74	570	5.56
Egypt	EGY	1.65	2.76	0.61	2,000	2.32
El Salvador	SLV	5.19	10.13	0.99	340	3.89
Equatorial Guinea	GNQ	7.24	10.85	3.40	130	12.99
Eritrea	ERI	10.66	16.86	5.37	270	5.97
Estonia	EST	2.06	3.99	0.55	32	5.85
Eswatini	SWZ	7.59	12.75	2.87	100	7.63
Ethiopia	ETH	7.01	10.34	4.14	6,100	10.73
Fiji	FJI	6.55	10.17	3.17	60	9.24
Finland	FIN	1.48	2.52	0.58	110	2.73
France	FRA	0.91	1.48	0.39	690	1.92
Gabon	GAB	6.76	11.62	1.89	150	10.76
Gambia	GMB	5.42	7.95	3.17	100	7.98
Georgia	GEO	1.39	2.97	0.27	51	1.96
Germany	DEU	0.45	0.68	0.23	450	0.69
Ghana	GHA	5.64	8.69	3.08	1,300	6.83
Greece	GRC	1.75	2.91	0.80	260	3.11
Grenada	GRD	4.40	8.51	0.91	4	14.26
Guatemala	GTM	2.12	3.94	0.44	370	4.07
Guinea	GIN	9.99	13.97	6.71	1,200	12.26
Guinea-Bissau	GNB	11.00	16.44	6.76	170	14.86
Guyana	GUY	21.00	40.27	3.64	170	10.46
Haiti	HTI	9.56	15.30	4.13	1,200	15.16
Honduras	HND	2.19	3.51	1.03	210	2.19
Hungary	HUN	0.98	1.78	0.23	110	2.24
Iceland	ISL	1.12	1.00	1.15	4	0.52
India	IND	5.26	7.10	3.41	69,000	8.16
Indonesia	IDN	2.74	3.67	1.83	7,400	5.07
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	IRN	0.89	1.51	0.28	770	2.68
Iraq	IRQ	1.60	2.63	0.65	800	3.39
Ireland	IRL	0.93	1.31	0.56	52	1.97
Israel	ISR	0.57	0.93	0.23	53	0.70
Italy	ITA	0.47	0.78	0.18	320	0.78
Jamaica	JAM	0.62	1.04	0.25	15	0.48
Japan	JPN	3.83	5.00	2.94	9,700	4.44
Jordan	JOR	0.57	0.87	0.27	62	1.57
Kazakhstan	KAZ	3.40	6.10	1.05	680	11.01
Kenya	KEN	7.63	12.80	3.42	2,300	8.44
Kiribati	KIR	5.09	5.96	4.45	8	5.67
Kuwait	KWT	0.42	0.64	0.15	17	1.11
Kyrgyzstan	KGZ	2.89	4.55	1.38	200	9.09
Lao People's Democratic Republic	LAO	6.96	7.19	6.58	440	11.11
Latvia	LVA	5.36	9.65	1.77	120	10.56
Lebanon	LBN	0.94	1.66	0.26	57	1.03
Lesotho	LSO	6.90	11.88	2.70	150	5.96
Liberia	LBR	8.71	11.79	5.85	380	11.61
Libya	LBY	2.26	3.62	0.86	190	2.17
Lithuania	LTU	2.58	4.80	0.65	85	10.91
Luxembourg	LUX	0.11	0.21	0.00	1	0.22
Madagascar	MDG	10.05	14.66	5.84	2,200	14.25
Malawi	MWI	7.79	13.51	3.26	1,000	9.75
Malaysia	MYS	3.63	5.68	1.47	1,100	4.14
Maldives	MDV	4.72	7.32	1.24	20	10.31
Mali	MLI	9.96	13.56	6.61	1,800	11.36
Malta	MLT	0.38	0.54	0.27	2	2.66
Mauritania	MRT	5.38	7.53	3.48	200	6.80
Mauritius	MUS	2.76	4.03	1.48	36	4.16
Mexico	MEX	1.11	1.95	0.36	1,300	2.97
Micronesia (Federated States of)	FSM	8.72	14.53	3.34	9	8.36
Mongolia	MNG	3.34	5.75	1.06	120	7.76
Montenegro	MNE	1.69	2.84	0.66	11	2.29
Morocco	MAR	1.84	2.97	0.72	690	2.85
Mozambique	MOZ	7.99	13.67	3.91	1,600	12.72
Myanmar	MMR	4.07	6.42	1.78	2,200	8.80
Namibia	NAM	4.51	8.44	1.10	140	7.65
Nepal	NPL	5.44	7.42	3.79	1,200	8.10
Netherlands	NLD	0.52	0.92	0.14	100	0.66
New Zealand	NZL	1.33	2.09	0.56	69	1.68
Nicaragua	NIC	2.79	5.30	0.50	190	4.34
Niger	NER	14.25	18.65	10.08	4,100	15.27
Nigeria	NGA	5.11	7.37	2.94	11,000	5.44
North Macedonia	MKD	0.51	1.04	0.09	10	1.69
Norway	NOR	1.22	2.04	0.39	72	1.53
occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem	PSE	3.46	3.50	3.49	290	2.76
Oman	OMN	1.27	1.76	0.57	65	5.66
Pakistan	PAK	5.87	7.70	4.05	14,000	9.51
Panama	PAN	3.19	5.68	0.91	140	5.45
Papua New Guinea	PNG	8.85	14.27	3.13	900	8.06
Paraguay	PRY	2.64	4.74	0.60	180	3.09
Peru	PER	1.94	3.23	0.70	610	3.75
Philippines	PHL	4.52	7.57	2.06	4,600	7.17
Poland	POL	1.17	2.02	0.38	510	2.71
Portugal	PRT	1.14	1.88	0.44	120	0.49
Puerto Rico	PRI	1.10	1.60	0.63	30	1.16
Qatar	QAT	0.60	0.79	0.33	11	1.76
Republic of Korea	KOR	1.07	1.75	0.48	620	4.00
Republic of Moldova	MDA	3.23	5.48	1.39	100	7.06
Romania	ROU	2.14	3.73	0.69	450	5.82
Russian Federation	RUS	4.17	7.82	0.89	6,200	12.71
Rwanda	RWA	7.23	11.69	3.79	650	17.00
Saint Lucia	LCA	7.16	13.30	1.35	13	6.09
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	VCT	6.92	13.17	1.12	6	10.77
Samoa	WSM	5.18	8.62	1.85	10	9.33
Sao Tome and Principe	STP	1.49	2.03	0.98	3	2.02
Saudi Arabia	SAU	1.06	1.39	0.60	330	1.94
Senegal	SEN	9.56	13.81	5.38	1,200	12.99
Serbia	SRB	1.14	2.07	0.34	89	2.00
Seychelles	SYC	8.84	14.71	2.23	11	14.33
Sierra Leone	SLE	8.78	11.42	6.36	640	6.52
Singapore	SGP	0.25	0.42	0.09	15	0.35
Slovakia	SVK	2.54	4.05	1.09	150	3.06
Slovenia	SVN	0.59	0.94	0.26	15	1.25
Solomon Islands	SLB	16.13	26.54	5.42	110	12.87
Somalia	SOM	15.78	23.98	8.60	2,200	16.59
South Africa	ZAF	4.47	7.52	1.75	2,900	3.48
South Sudan	SSD	9.98	15.68	5.44	960	17.27
Spain	ESP	1.03	1.74	0.37	540	1.45
Sri Lanka	LKA	4.30	7.49	1.54	910	7.76
Sudan	SDN	2.71	3.91	1.54	2,000	4.87
Suriname	SUR	5.13	8.49	1.85	33	5.27
Sweden	SWE	0.55	0.85	0.26	69	1.24
Switzerland	CHE	0.51	0.76	0.28	50	0.83
Syrian Arab Republic	SYR	0.66	1.17	0.18	180	1.37
Tajikistan	TJK	2.80	4.09	1.66	340	8.74
Thailand	THA	6.86	11.50	2.51	5,100	9.09
Timor-Leste	TLS	10.42	13.95	6.90	150	14.24
Togo	TGO	7.74	11.49	4.74	510	9.71
Tonga	TON	3.78	8.44	0.01	3	6.47
Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	5.71	10.26	1.12	84	3.95
Tunisia	TUN	1.07	1.86	0.34	120	1.87
Türkiye	TUR	1.30	1.85	0.74	1,100	1.82
Turkmenistan	TKM	3.53	5.48	1.87	280	8.49
Uganda	UGA	7.54	12.83	3.54	2,400	8.42
Ukraine	UKR	4.40	8.35	0.86	1,900	12.83
United Arab Emirates	ARE	1.23	1.83	0.36	120	1.60
United Kingdom	GBR	0.48	0.73	0.24	350	0.41
United Republic of Tanzania	TZA	5.80	9.45	2.89	2,800	8.41
United States of America	USA	1.16	1.74	0.59	4,000	1.26
Uruguay	URY	1.10	1.65	0.56	36	3.75
Uzbekistan	UZB	3.66	5.71	1.75	1,300	8.42
Vanuatu	VUT	12.08	20.33	3.81	34	10.55
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	VEN	3.45	6.30	0.70	990	2.72
Viet Nam	VNM	10.66	15.39	5.89	9,800	12.46
Yemen	YEM	3.52	5.89	1.18	1,600	4.97
Zambia	ZMB	6.96	11.44	3.43	880	9.87
Zimbabwe	ZWE	3.15	5.61	1.28	410	1.99
No match. Check the spelling.

Modeled WHO estimates for 185 countries. Small numbers are uncertain, so do not rank countries by tiny differences.

Source: WHO Global Health Estimates 2023 (opens in a new tab). Retrieved October 18, 2026.

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WHO’s key facts

There are around 300 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.
Drowning disproportionately impacts children and young people.
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.

Quoted from the WHO drowning fact sheet (opens in a new tab), published May 1, 2026. These round figures come from an earlier WHO release than the estimates in the charts above, so the two are not combined.

Methodology

WHO estimates: WHO’s Global Health Estimates are modeled estimates, not registered death counts. For countries with weak death registration they are uncertain. WHO rounds them when it prints them, and so do we. WHO says its 2000-2023 estimates are not comparable with earlier releases, including the round figures in its fact sheet.
Age-standardized rates: WHO standardizes rates to the WHO world standard population. They cannot be compared with CDC’s age-adjusted rates, which use the 2000 U.S. standard population and a different drowning definition.
Why sources are not mixed: CDC, the U.S. Coast Guard and WHO count different things in different ways. We keep each source in its own chart and never add their numbers together.

Data last checked October 18, 2026. 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

Global Health Estimates 2023: deaths by cause, age, sex, by country and by region, 2000-2023 (opens in a new tab) World Health Organization
Drowning (fact sheet) (opens in a new tab) World Health Organization

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.