Drowning Data Center™
Authoritative numbers. Clearly sourced.
Every government statistic here shows its source, data period, last update and definition — so older figures are never mistaken for current ones. These are annual estimates, not a live counter.
4,000
Estimated fatal unintentional drownings each year in the U.S.
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Recent annual estimate
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Approximate annual number of deaths from unintentional drowning in the United States.
8,000
Estimated nonfatal drownings each year in the U.S.
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Recent annual estimate
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- People who survive a drowning incident; outcomes can include brain damage and permanent disability.
11
Estimated fatal drownings per day
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Derived from annual estimate
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Annual CDC estimate divided into an average daily figure. Not a live counter.
22
Estimated nonfatal drownings per day
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Derived from annual estimate
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Annual CDC estimate divided into an average daily figure. Not a live counter.
#1
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1–4
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Most recent CDC ranking
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Ranking among all causes of death for U.S. children ages 1–4.
#2
Second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5–14
- Source
- CDC Drowning Facts
- Year
- Most recent CDC ranking
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Ranking among unintentional injury deaths, behind motor-vehicle crashes.
55%
of U.S. adults reported never having taken a swimming lesson
- Source
- CDC Vital Signs
- Year
- CDC national survey data
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Share of U.S. adults in CDC national survey data who reported never taking a swim lesson.
4,500+
people per year drowned during 2020–2022
- Source
- CDC Vital Signs
- Year
- 2020–2022
- Updated
- 2026-01-27
- Definition
- Roughly 500 more deaths per year than in 2019.
Coming next
National → State → City → ZIP
State, city and neighborhood views will be added as reliable official data sets are connected. Until then, only national CDC figures are shown.
Swim for Rakim projects
Our program data
0
Ponds Reported
0
Ponds Assessed
0
Ponds Completed
0
Feet of Fence Installed
0
Children Sponsored
0
Swim Sessions Funded
0
Families Educated
0
CPR Participants
0
Community Partners
0
Corporate Sponsors
Every number above is counted live from Swim for Rakim program records. Children are counted in aggregate only — no personal information is ever shown publicly.
