24 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – World Drowning Prevention Day, a global advocacy event held annually on 25 July, serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer lifesaving solutions to prevent it.
Over the last decade at least 3 million people have lost their lives to drowning. Though there has been a decrease in drowning deaths globally since 2000, over 300 000 lives are still lost each year. In 2021, of the estimated 300 000 drowning deaths that occurred, 12% (35 000) were in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The Eastern Mediterranean has the second highest drowning death rate of all WHO regions, with children and youth aged up to 29 years accounting for the vast majority – 83% – of drowning deaths. WHO’s Global Health Estimates for 2021 revealed that children aged 5–14 years accounted for 23.4% of all drowning deaths in the Region, with drowning the second leading cause of death among this age group. Tragically, the Eastern Mediterranean has the highest drowning death rate among children under 4 years of any WHO region.
It has also reported the second smallest decline in drowning death rates of all regions. That the Region has the highest drowning death rates among low- and lower middle-income countries and the second highest rate among high-income countries underlines the pressing need for urgent action.
Sex, age, poverty