Over 7.2M people, mainly children, at risk of drowning by 2050: WHO

The global drowning death rate has dropped 38% since 2000, but over 7.2 million people, mostly children, could still die by 2050 if current trends continue, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.

In the first-ever WHO report on drowning prevention, the UN organization hailed the decline in the global drowning death rate as "a major global health achievement."

However, the report noted that drowning remains a major public health issue, with more than 30 people estimated to drown every hour and 300,000 perishing in 2021 alone.

The data showed that almost half of all drowning deaths occur among people below the age of 29, while a quarter was among children under the age of 5.

It added that children are at an especially high risk of drowning when not under adult supervision.

"The significant decline in drowning deaths since 2000 is great news and proof that the simple, practical interventions that WHO recommends work," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He added: "Still, every drowning death is one death too many, and millions of people remain at risk. This report contains crucial data for policy-making and recommendations for urgent action to save lives."

At the global level, nine in 10 drowning deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries, the report mentioned.

Most drowning deaths worldwide could be prevented with community-based interventions recommended by WHO, including the installation of barriers to prevent child access to water, improving flood risk management and strengthening public awareness about drowning, the report noted.