146 fatalities due to accidental drowning in 2024
Over the past decade, an average of 91 people died due to accidental drowning each year. Three-quarters of those fatalities occurred in open water: in a river, canal, drainage channel, lake, or in the sea. More than 18 percent of drownings occurred at home or in the garden.
Between 2015 and 2024, an average of 29 people who were not inhabitants of the Netherlands (such as tourists, undocumented migrants or temporary workers) also died as a result of drowning each year. Over the past decade, a total of 285 non-residents drowned, nearly half of whom were from Germany or Poland.
| Jaar | Residents of the Netherlands | Non-residents |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 83 | 21 |
| 2016 | 86 | 29 |
| 2017 | 85 | 23 |
| 2018 | 112 | 26 |
| 2019 | 76 | 26 |
| 2020 | 107 | 31 |
| 2021 | 80 | 19 |
| 2022 | 73 | 30 |
| 2023 | 98 | 41 |
| 2024* | 107 | 39 |
| * provisional figures | ||
More people aged over 60 drowned than children
The number of drownings (among inhabitants of the Netherlands) declined between 1950 and the first half of the 1980s. This was true across all age groups, but especially among children. Accidental drowning rates are highest among people aged 60 and older. Over the past decade, the average number of drownings per 100 thousand inhabitants was 0.5. The rate is highest among people aged over 60, who make up nearly half of all drownings, at 0.9 fatalities per 100 thousand people. It is the lowest among teenagers, at 0.2 per 100 thousand population.
| Jaar | Younger than 10 yrs (per 100 thousand residents) | 10-19 yrs (per 100 thousand residents) | 20-39 yrs (per 100 thousand residents) | 40-59 yrs (per 100 thousand residents) | 60 yrs and older (per 100 thousand residents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.0 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 5.2 |
| 1951 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 5.1 |
| 1952 | 8.9 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 4.7 |
| 1953 | 10.7 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 4.0 |
| 1954 | 9.4 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 4.6 |
| 1955 | 8.9 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 6.3 |
| 1956 | 8.6 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| 1957 | 9.3 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 6.5 |
| 1958 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
| 1959 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 |
| 1960 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| 1961 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.3 |
| 1962 | 7.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.9 |
| 1963 | 9.7 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| 1964 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 4.4 |
| 1965 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.2 |
| 1966 | 8.8 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 4.8 |
| 1967 | 8.6 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| 1968 | 6.8 | 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 | 6.2 | 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 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| 2023 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| 2024* | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| * provisional figures 1) To take account of the ageing population (for example), the figures for past years have been recalculated to reflect 2024 demographics. | |||||
Elderly people more likely to drown after falling into water
In the past decade, three-quarters of drownings occurred in open water. This applies to all ages. In more than a quarter of cases, it was not known how the victim ended up in the water. In cases where this information was known, 63 percent involved a fall, 21 percent occurred during swimming and 12 percent while the person was using a bathtub.The number of people who fall into water and drown increases with age. Among people aged 60 and older, falling into the water was the reason for drowning in 69 percent of cases. Over the past decade, the rate was lowest among teenagers, averaging 27 percent. Among children aged below 10, 58 percent of victims drowned after falling into water. Causes of falls include slipping, alcohol consumption, becoming unwell and dementia.
Among young people aged 10-19 years, most drownings (54 percent) occurred while swimming in open water.
More cases of drowning among children born outside the Netherlands
Between 2015 and 2024, 61 children under the age of 10 drowned, and 48 young people aged 10 to 19 drowned. Of these, more than half were of non-Dutch origin: they were either born abroad themselves (migrants), or one or both of their parents were born abroad (second generation).Particularly among young children and teenagers, there appears to be a significant difference between children of Dutch origin and those of other backgrounds, when it comes to the risk of drowning. Among children under 10 born outside Europe, the risk of drowning was 11 times higher than among children of Dutch origin. Among those in the 10-19 age group, it was 16 times higher. Among children who were born in the Netherlands but whose parents were born outside Europe, the risk of drowning is more than three times higher than among children of Dutch origin. Migrants in other age groups also have a higher risk of drowning.