NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

Unintentional Drowning Deaths in the United States, 

1999–2010

Jiaquan Xu, M.D.

Key findings 

Data from the National 

Vital Statistics System, 

Mortality

• From 1999 through 2010, 

a total of 46,419 deaths from 

unintentional drowning 

(including boating) occurred in 

the United States, an average of 

3,868 deaths per year. 

• Drowning death rates 

decreased over time for all age 

groups except for adults aged 

45–84. 

• The average daily number 

of deaths from unintentional 

drowning on a weekend day 

was 48% higher than that on 

a weekday (13.8 versus 9.3 

deaths).

• Since 2005, unintentional 

drowning has replaced motor 

vehicle traffic incidents as the 

leading cause of death from 

unintentional injury for boys 

aged 1–4 years.

• Drowning occurred most 

often in a bath tub for persons 

under 1 year of age and for 

adults aged 85 and over, in a 

swimming pool for children 

aged 1–4 years, and in natural 

water for persons aged 5–84 

years.

Drowning is the third leading cause of death from unintentional injury 

worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths according to 2004 data

from the World Health Organization (1). Previous reports indicated that, although 

the death rate from unintentional drowning for persons aged 0–19 years decreased 

in the United States, drowning had become the major cause of death from 

unintentional injury among children aged 1–4 years (2,3). To facilitate injury 

prevention programs, this study analyzed mortality data from the National Vital 

Statistics System from 1999 through 2010 to provide more detailed information 

on characteristics and patterns of unintentional drowning deaths, including recent 

trends and drowning by day of week, age group, sex, and place of incident.

Keywords: vital statistics • drowning • death rate

Did death rates from unintentional drowning change from 

1999 through 2010?

A total of 46,419 people died from unintentional drowning in the United States 

from 1999 through 2010, an average of 3,868 deaths per year. Overall, the

Figure 1. Death rates from unintentional drowning, by age group: United States, 1999–2010

NOTES: A total of 46,419 deaths from unintentional drowning occurred in the United States from 1999 through 2010, an average 

of 3,868 deaths per year. Access data table for Figure 1 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db149_table.pdf#1.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

85 years and over

45–84 years

20–44 years 5–19 years

1–4 years

Under 1 year

All ages

Years

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Deaths per 100,000 population
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  2  ■

death rate from unintentional drowning decreased 9.0% from 1.44 deaths per 100,000 population 

in 1999 to 1.31 in 2010 (Figure 1). The rate increased 4.8% from 1.25 in 2009 to 1.31 in 2010.

Drowning death rates decreased 45.6% for infants (under 1 year of age), 17.5% for children 

aged 1–4 years, and 30.2% for persons aged 5–19 years. For adults aged 85 and over, drowning 

death rates increased 21.7% from 1999 through 2005 and then decreased 36.1% by 2010, with a 

fluctuation between 2005 and 2008. Death rates increased 9.7% over the 12 years examined for 

adults aged 45–84. 

Overall, children aged 1–4 years had the highest drowning death rate (2.93), and persons aged 

5–19 years had the lowest rate (1.02) among the analyzed age groups. 

Were deaths due to drowning more likely to occur on weekends than on 

weekdays? 

Deaths from drowning were more likely to occur on a weekend than on a weekday (Figure 2). 

An average of 13.8 deaths per day occurred on a weekend compared with 9.3 deaths per day on 

a weekday in the United States from 1999 through 2010. The average number of deaths from 

drowning on a weekend was nearly 48% higher than that on a weekday. More than 37% of all 

drowning deaths occurred on weekends. Deaths per day

Figure 2. Average number of deaths per day from unintentional drowning, by day of week: United States, 1999–2010

NOTE: Data shown are the days of death after drowning, not the days of drowning.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

13.7

10.1

9.2 8.9 8.7

9.5

13.9 13.8

9.3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Weekend Weekday
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  3  ■

How did the locations of drowning differ by sex? 

People drowned in places ranging from bath tubs to natural water. Natural water was the most 

frequent drowning location, accounting for 47.2% of all unintentional drowning deaths (including 

drowning deaths while boating), followed by other/unspecified places (26.8%), swimming pools 

(16.3%), and bath tubs (9.7%) (Figure 3).

For males, drowning was most likely to occur in natural water; this location accounted for 

more than 52.7% of all unintentional drowning. For females, however, drowning occurred with 

approximately equal likelihood in natural water, bath tubs, and swimming pools. Percent

Figure 3. Distribution of average annual deaths from unintentional drowning, by sex and location: 

United States, 1999–2010

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

Natural water

Other/unspecified

Swimming pool

Bath tub

0

20

40

60

80

100

Both sexes Male Female

9.7

16.3

26.8

47.2

5.7

14.3

27.3

52.7

25.4

24.0

24.8

25.9
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  4  ■

Did the risk of drowning in different places differ by age group?

The risk of drowning in a particular location varied among age groups (Figure 4). Those under the 

age of 1 year were most likely to drown in a bath tub; this location accounted for approximately 

62% of all unintentional drowning deaths for the age group. Children aged 1–4 years were most 

likely to drown in a swimming pool, such that this location accounted for more than 50% of 

all unintentional drowning deaths in that age group. Persons aged 5–19 years and adults aged 

20–84 were most likely to drown in natural water; this location accounted for 50% and 54%, 

respectively, of all unintentional drowning deaths in those age groups. Approximately 25% of 

drowning deaths occurred in other or unspecified places for all age groups. Adults aged 85 and 

over were most likely to drown in a bath tub (0.48 deaths per 100,000 population), followed by a 

swimming pool (0.44) and natural water (0.40).

1–4 5–19 20–84

Age in years

Under 1

Deaths per 100,000 population†

Figure 4. Average annual death rates from unintentional drowning, by location and age group: United States, 1999–2010

†

 Because the data for exposure to water by age, sex, day of week, and location were not available, rates are population-based.

* Does not meet standards of reliability or precision based on fewer than 20 deaths.

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 4 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db149_table.pdf#4.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

85 and over

*

Natural water, Other/unspecified

including boating

Swimming

pool

All locations Bath tub

All ages

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  5  ■

Was drowning the leading cause of death from unintentional injury for 

children aged 1–4 years?

Among boys aged 1–4 years, drowning was the leading cause of death from unintentional injury 

in 2010, followed by motor vehicle traffic incidents; however, the two causes exchanged ranking 

position several times from 1999 through 2004. The number of motor vehicle traffic deaths 

decreased from 1999 through 2010 for both boys and girls, whereas unintentional drowning 

deaths did not. For boys aged 1–4 years, the number of unintentional drowning deaths surpassed 

the number of motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2005, becoming the leading cause of death from 

unintentional injury. For girls aged 1–4 years, motor vehicle traffic incidents have been the 

leading cause of death from unintentional injury from 1999 through 2010, although the gap 

between these two causes has been narrowing (Figure 5).

Year

Number of deaths

Figure 5. Deaths from two leading causes of unintentional injury for children aged 1–4 years, by sex: 

United States, 1999–2010

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 5 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db149_table.pdf#5.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

Boys, motor vehicle traffic

Girls, unintentional drowning

Girls, motor vehicle traffic

Boys, unintentional drowning

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Summary

This report provides recent findings on unintentional drowning deaths in the United States. 

Children under 5 years of age and adults aged 85 and over had the highest risk of drowning, 

although the rates for these age groups reached their lowest point in 2010. Drowning death rates 

decreased over time for all age groups except for adults aged 45–84. 

Drowning remained the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury for girls aged 

1–4 years. For boys aged 1–4 years, unintentional drowning has been the leading cause of death 

from unintentional injury since 2005. 

Patterns of drowning by place differed by sex and age. More than one-half of all drowning deaths 

for males occurred in natural water compared with only one-quarter of all drowning deaths for 

females. Drowning was most likely to occur in the bath tub for infants under the age of 1 year and 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  6  ■

for adults aged 85 and over, in swimming pools for children aged 1–4 years, and in natural water 

for persons aged 5–84 years. These findings are consistent with the results from previous studies 

(4,5). Although the percentage of drowning occurring in some locations changed slightly over 

time, the pattern of drowning in particular locations by sex and age remained the same.

Definitions

Cause-of-death classification: Cause of death is determined based on medical information—

including injury diagnoses and external causes of injury—that is entered on death certificates filed 

in the United States. This information is classified and coded in accordance with the International 

Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD–10) (6).

Unintentional drowning: In 2002, for statistical purposes, the World Congress on Drowning 

defined drowning as “the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/

immersion in liquid” (7). Unintentional drowning in this report is defined as accidental drowning 

and submersion (ICD–10 code W65–W74), accident to watercraft causing drowning and 

submersion (V90), and water-transport-related drowning and submersion without accident to 

watercraft (V92). Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion (X71), assault by drowning 

and submersion (X92), and undetermined intent of drowning and submersion (Y21) are excluded. 

In this report, drowning refers to fatal drowning. 

Death rates: Death rates are based on populations enumerated as of April 1 in 2000 and 2010, and 

populations estimated as of July 1 for all other years. These population estimates are available on 

the National Center for Health Statistics website (8). 

Leading cause of death: Leading cause of death is based on the number of deaths according to 

ICD–10. See the Technical Notes of “Deaths: Final Data for 2010” (9) for more detail.

Motor vehicle traffic deaths: As the underlying cause of death, motor vehicle traffic deaths are 

coded to V02–V04(.1, .9), V09.2, V12–V14(.3–.9), V19(.4–.6), V20–V28(.3–.9), V29–V79(.4–

.9), V80(.3–.5), V81.1, V82.1, V83–V86(.0–.3), V87(.0–.8), and V89.2, according to ICD–10.

Data source and methods

All data in this report are from the 1999 through 2010 mortality files from the National Vital 

Statistics System. These files are available from the National Vital Statistics System website: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/vitalstatsonline.htm.

About the author 

Jiaquan Xu is with CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, 

Mortality Statistics Branch.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

■  7  ■

References

1. World Health Organization. Drowning. Fact sheet no. 347. 2012. Available from: http://www.

who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs347/en/.

2. Gilchrist J, Ballesteros MF, Parker EM. Vital signs: Unintentional injury deaths among 

persons aged 0–19 years—United States, 2000–2009. MMWR 61(15):270–6. 2012. Available 

from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm6115.pdf. 

3. Borse NN, Gilchrist J, Dellinger AM, et al. CDC childhood injury report: Patterns of 

unintentional injuries among 0–19 year olds in the United States, 2000–2006. Atlanta, GA: CDC. 

2008. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/images/CDC-childhoodinjury.pdf. 

4. Brenner RA, Trumble AC, Smith GS, Kessler EP, Overpeck, MD. Where children 

drown, United States, 1995. Pediatrics 108(1):85–9. 2001. Available from: http://pediatrics.

aappublications.org/content/108/1/85.full.pdf.

5. Laosee OC, Gilchrist J, Rudd RA. Drowning—United States, 2005–2009. MMWR 

61(19):344–7. 2012. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6119a4.

htm.

6. World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health 

problems, tenth revision (ICD–10). Geneva, Switzerland. 1992.

7. Beeck EF, Branche CM, Szpilman D, Modell JH, Bierens JJLM. A new definition of 

drowning: Towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem. Bulletin 

of the World Health Organization 83:853–6. 2005. Available from: http://www.who.int/bulletin/

volumes/83/11/853.pdf. 

8. National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. U.S. census populations 

with bridged race categories. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/bridged_race.htm.

9. Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2010. National vital statistics 

reports; vol 61 no 4. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013. Available from: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 149 ■ April 2014

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

3311 Toledo Road, Room 5419

Hyattsville, MD 20782

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

FIRST CLASS MAIL 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID 

CDC/NCHS

PERMIT NO. G-284

For more NCHS

Data Briefs, visit: 

http://goo.gl/3JRvlC

Suggested citation

Xu JQ. Unintentional drowning deaths in the 

United States, 1999–2010. NCHS data brief, 

no 149. Hyattsville, MD: National Center 

for Health Statistics. 2014.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., M.B.A., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

Director for Science

Division of Vital Statistics

Delton Atkinson, M.P.H., M.P.H., P.M.P., 

Director

For e-mail updates on NCHS publication 

releases, subscribe online at: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/govdelivery.htm.

For questions or general information

about NCHS:

Tel: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–888–232–6348

Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Online request form: http://www.cdc.gov/

cdc-info/requestform.html

ISSN 1941–4927 Print ed.

ISSN 1941–4935 Online ed.

DHHS Publication No. 2014–1209

CS246845