This report presents our analysis of fatal and non-fatal drowning across Australia between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. During this time, 339 people lost their lives to drowning and we estimate a further 686 people experienced a non-fatal drowning incident.
1.3 per 100,000 males and. 0.4 per 100,000 females.
The Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2022 found that there were 339 drowning deaths over the past 12 months, which is 15% higher than last year (295), and the highest reported figure since 1996. Sadly, 43 deaths were flood related.
Today, in a joint release, the Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2021 and Surf Life Saving National Coastal Safety Report 2021 were released. There were 294 drowning deaths in the past 12 months across Australia's coastline, inland waterways and pools, which is 20% higher than last year (245).
While children are at highest risk, anyone can drown. Every year in the United States there are an estimated: 4,000* fatal unintentional drownings—that is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day. 8,000† nonfatal drownings—that is an average of 22 nonfatal drownings per day.
Every year in the U.S., approximately 3,700 people die from unintentional drowning. Nearly 900 of them are children and adolescents ages 0 to 19.
The biggest drowning threat facing families with toddlers is unexpected, unsupervised access to water: swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, bathtubs, natural bodies of water such as ponds, and standing water in homes. For example, 69% of all drownings among children age 4 and younger happen during non-swim times.
The most common cause of drowning is not knowing how to swim. Many adults and children will attempt to get into the water without proper swim training. Formal water safety and swimming lessons under the supervision of a lifeguard can dramatically decrease the risk of drowning.
Swimming pools are the most common location for toddler drownings making up 67% of all cases followed by bathtubs which account for 22%. Children falling into water account for 78% of drownings.
Age-standardised drowning mortality rates were highest in countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Older adults in Japan had an extremely high drowning mortality rate involving bathtubs. The proportion of drowning deaths in swimming pools was highest in the USA.
When one-third of the Australian continent was submerged, ancestors of the world's oldest living cultures were there to see it. Lands that once were wide open to exploration and home to many people flooded as the ocean crept inland following the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago.
In patients with mixed hypoxic and hypothermic cardiac arrest who undergo ECPR, neurologically intact survival is reported between 5 and 22 percent, although studies include a small number of patients and are retrospective.
It's an unbelievable statistic: According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. And according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 390 deaths a year on average are attributed to drowning in a swimming pool or at a spa.
The Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2022 found that there were 339 drowning deathsover the past 12 months, which is 15% higher than last year(295), and the highest reported figure since 1996.
Globally, the highest drowning rates are among children 1–4 years, followed by children 5–9 years. Males are especially at risk of drowning, with twice the overall mortality rate of females. In the US, an average of 3,500 to 4,000 people drown per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day.
On average five people drown while performing a bystander rescue each year in Australia. Our research shows most people who rescue others will perform only one rescue in their lifetime. Their altruism will most likely be directed to family members including young children.
The highest fatal drowning rate of children aged 5 – 14 was recorded in 2011/12, at a rate of 0.5/100,000 population, followed by 2020/21, at a rate of 0.43/100,000 population. Children aged 5 – 9 represented the highest number of drowning deaths (62%) (n=65) compared with children aged 10 – 14 (38%) (n=40).
Males accounted for 80% of all drowning deaths (93% for the 25 -34 age group) Research shows that risk taking, use of alcohol and drugs, and the absence of appropriate safety precautions including lifejackets are key factors in male drowning.
Coastal cliffs and rocky ledges (or rock platforms) contribute to around 1 in 5 drowning deaths in Australia. Fatalities occur particularly among rock fishers. People recreating on rocky coasts are often unprepared for entering the water or swimming (Kennedy et al.
"The term 'dry drowning' refers to an acute lung injury caused by water aspiration that would develop over minutes to hours after exposure and could progress to respiratory failure," said Robert.
According to Collins Concise Dictionary, drowning is “to die or kill by immersion in liquid” – so no, fish cannot drown. However, they can suffocate when fresh water does not contain enough dissolved oxygen – either as a result of eutrophication (an excess of nutrients) or drought.
Both can happen in adults, but most cases of dry drowning and secondary drowning involve young children. Dry drowning occurs when water is inhaled and causes muscle spasms in the airway, which blocks airflow. With secondary drowning water is inhaled into the lungs.