Over the past decade, drowning has caused over 3 million deaths globally. Drowning presents a significant threat to the lives of children and young people, ranking as the third leading cause of death for children aged 5 to 14 years, and the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4 years globally. Over 90% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting that vulnerable communities are most at risk. Drowning has clear linkages to progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, yet recognition and action for its prevention is far from commensurate with its public health impact.
Through World Health Assembly resolution 76.18 Accelerating action on global drowning prevention adopted in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) was requested to lead a series of activities to support global drowning prevention efforts. One such activity was the preparation of a global status report to guide future targeted actions for drowning prevention at national, regional and global levels. 139 Member States and Territories contributed to the Global status report on drowning prevention 2024.
WHO is pleased to launch this Report through a high-level event co-hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies which will be live-streamed globally. This resource is the first of its kind to measure the magnitude of drowning by country, as well as to assess the implementation of specific evidence-based interventions to prevent drowning at the global level. WHO believes that this information will be instrumental to informing and scaling-up advocacy and action on this neglected public health issue.
To join the event via livestream, please register here. On registration, you will receive an email with details for connecting to the event online.