The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes its first-ever report on drowning prevention, which reveals a 38% drop in the global drowning death rate since 2000—a major global health achievement.

However, the report notes that drowning remains a major public health issue with more than 30 people estimated to be drowning every hour and 300 000 people dying by drowning in 2021 alone. Almost half of all drowning deaths occur among people below the age of 29 years, and a quarter occur among children under the age of 5 years. Children without adult supervision are at an especially high risk of drowning.