73 inhabitants drowned in 2022
In the past decade, on average 86 inhabitants per year lost their lives due to accidental drowning. Almost half (45 percent) were aged 60 or older, while 8 percent were under the age of 10. In 2022, there were 12 fewer accidental drownings among women than in 2021 (9 vs. 21), but 5 more among men (64 vs. 59).
In the past ten years, 74 percent of accidental drownings occurred in open water, e.g., in a ditch, a river, a lake or the sea. Twenty percent of drownings happened in and around the home, for example in a bathtub. More than half of the drownings were caused by an accidental fall into the water.
| Jaar | Under 10 yrs | 10 to 19 yrs | 20 to 39 yrs | 40 to 59 yrs | 60 yrs and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022* | 5 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 30 |
| 2021 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 34 |
| 2020 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 22 | 55 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 40 |
| 2018 | 8 | 6 | 21 | 29 | 48 |
| *Provisional figures. | |||||
Most drownings among over-60s
In recent decades, the number of accidental drownings has been highest among people aged 60 and over. Compared to other causes of death, drownings are not very common nowadays. In 2022, less than 1 in 100 thousand people aged 60 or older died due to drowning.
The number of drownings fell substantially between 1950 and 1980. The decline took place across the age groups, particularly among children under 10. The number of fatal drownings continued to fall in the youngest group up to 2010, after which it stabilised. It has remained stable since 1980 in all other age groups.
| Jaar | Under 10 yrs (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | 10 to 19 yrs (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | 20 to 39 yrs (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | 40 to 59 yrs (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | 60 yrs and over (per 100 thousand inhabitants) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.8 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 5.2 |
| 1951 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 5.1 |
| 1952 | 9.6 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 4.7 |
| 1953 | 11.4 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 4.0 |
| 1954 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 4.6 |
| 1955 | 9.2 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 6.2 |
| 1956 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| 1957 | 9.4 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 6.5 |
| 1958 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
| 1959 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 1960 | 9.2 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 4.4 |
| 1961 | 9.5 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 4.3 |
| 1962 | 7.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.9 |
| 1963 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| 1964 | 8.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 4.4 |
| 1965 | 8.1 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.2 |
| 1966 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 4.7 |
| 1967 | 8.4 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| 1968 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.2 |
| 1969 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| 1970 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| 1971 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.7 |
| 1972 | 6.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| 1973 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| 1974 | 6.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| 1975 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| 1976 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| 1977 | 4.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.9 |
| 1978 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| 1979 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| 1980 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| 1981 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| 1982 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| 1983 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| 1984 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| 1985 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| 1986 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| 1987 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 1988 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| 1989 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| 1990 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| 1991 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| 1992 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| 1993 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 1994 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 1995 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 1996 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 1997 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| 1998 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 1999 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| 2000 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| 2001 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| 2002 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| 2003 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| 2004 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| 2005 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| 2006 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| 2007 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| 2008 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| 2009 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| 2010 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 2011 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 2012 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| 2013 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| 2014 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| 2015 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| 2017 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| 2018 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| 2020 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| 2021 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| 2022* | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| *Provisional figures. | |||||
More children born outside the Netherlands drown
In the period 2013-2022, a total of 125 inhabitants under the age of 20 died due to drowning. Of these victims, 29 were born outside the Netherlands: five elsewhere in Europe, 24 outside Europe. When standardised, this means that roughly 10 more drownings per 1,000 inhabitants took place among young people born outside Europe than among young people of Dutch origin. The risk of drowning is also elevated among those of non-European origin aged 20 and over, although with a smaller margin than in the youngest group.
The risk of drowning is three times as high among children under 10 of non-European origin who were born in the Netherlands (the second generation).
Among migrants of European origin, the risk is mainly higher than among people of Dutch origin in the age group 20 to 59 years.
| Leeftijd | Non-European, migrants (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | Non-European, 2nd generation (per 100 thousand inhabitants) | Dutch (per 100 thousand inhabitants) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 yrs | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| 10 to 19 yrs | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 20 to 39 yrs | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 40 to 59 yrs | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 60 yrs and over | 1.1 | 0 | 0.9 |
| *Standardised, 2022 figures are provisional. | |||
Drownings sometimes due to suicide or transport accident
Apart from accidental drowning, every year sees fatal drownings due to traffic accidents or suicide, for instance. In 2022, 100 people died from suicide by drowning while 39 drowned in a transport accident. In three quarter of the latter cases, a vehicle had driven into the water (mostly a bicycle or a passenger car). Others died in transport accidents that took place on the water (e.g., on a boat or in a canoe).
In all death cause categories, there were more male victims (70 percent) while people over 50 were over-represented (65 percent).
| Jaar | Accidental | Suicide | Transport accident | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 112 | 96 | 47 | 6 |
| 2019 | 76 | 90 | 47 | 7 |
| 2020 | 107 | 91 | 37 | 6 |
| 2021 | 80 | 87 | 38 | 5 |
| 2022* | 73 | 100 | 39 | 9 |
| *Provisional figures. | ||||
32 non-residents drowned in the Netherlands in 2022
Aside from fatal drownings among inhabitants, figures are available on non-residential drownings by, for example, tourists and temporary workers. In 2022, 32 non-residents died in an accidental drowning. These cases have reached a total of 240 over the past ten years. Another 95 non-residential drownings were suicides while 56 were due to a transport accident. Over half of the non-residential fatal drownings were German or Polish nationals.
Are you contemplating suicide? Please contact Suicide Prevention (available 24/7) by calling 0800-0113 in the Netherlands, or seek help online via 113.nl.
Sources
- StatLine - Deaths; cause of death (extensive list), age and sex
- StatLine - Deaths; underlying cause of death (shortlist), sex, age
Related items
- News release - Fewer fatal drownings in 2021