Drowning Statistics from the CDC
• There is an average of 3,536 fatal, unintentional drownings (non-boating related) in the United States every year.
• Drowning is the leading cause of injury death among children aged 1-4.
• Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children 5-9.
• More than 60% of fatal drownings of 0-4-year-olds occur in swimming pools.
• For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
• More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries). These nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).
• Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male.
• African-American children ages 5 to 19 drown in swimming pools at rates 5.5 times greater than those of Whites. This disparity is greatest among those 11-12, where African-Americans drown in swimming pools at rates 10 times those of Whites.
