Water Safety--Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates

The following statistics are the latest available from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the National Safety Council.

Injury and death rates

• Approximately 830 children ages 14 and under drown every year. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1 to 4 years and ages 10 to 14 years. For those less than 1 year old, drowning is the third leading cause of death 

• An average of about 3,600 injuries a year occur to children due to a near-drowning incident.  

• More than half of drownings among infants occur in bathtubs.

Where and when:

• Most infants under the age of 1 drown in bathtubs. Other drownings in this age group tend to occur in toilets and buckets.

• Most childhood drownings in pools occur in the child's home pool. About one-third of these drownings occur in pools at the homes of friends, neighbors, or relatives.

• Most drownings and near-drownings occur during late spring and summer (May through August).

• More fatal drownings occur in the South and West.

• More fatal drownings occur in rural areas than suburban or urban areas.

Who:

• The majority of children who drown in swimming pools are between the ages of 1 to 4.

• Children ages 4 and under are more likely to drown than other age groups and account for most home drownings.

• Boys are two times more likely to drown than girls.

• African-American children ages 5 to 14 are three times more likely to drown than white children.

• Nonswimming pool drownings are more common among low-income children.