13/09/2026
💧 National Drowning Report 2026
The latest report from Royal Life Saving Australia is a sobering reminder that drowning remains a significant public health issue across our country.
In the past 12 months:
🔹 313 people lost their lives to drowning—10% above the 10-year average
🔹 11 children under five drowned—39% below the 10-year average
🔹 55% of the under-five deaths occurred in backyard swimming pools
🔹 Children aged 5–14 recorded the lowest drowning rate, but drowning risk rose sharply among adolescents and young adults
🔹 Queensland’s drowning toll was 19% above its 10-year average
🔹 People living regionally experienced a drowning rate nearly three times that of major cities
🔹 For people living remotely, the rate was nearly four times higher
🔹 151 deaths (48%) occurred at coastal locations
🔹 90 deaths (29%) occurred in inland waterways
🔹 44 deaths (14%) occurred in swimming pools—two-thirds of these in backyard pools
🔹 The highest drowning rate was among people aged 65–74
Although child drowning rates are now the lowest on record, 11 young lives lost is still 11 too many. Constant, active supervision, secure pool fencing and gates, and access to swimming and water-safety education remain essential.
For those of us working in rural and remote communities, these statistics demand attention.
Distance, limited access to aquatic facilities and swimming lessons, workforce shortages, ageing infrastructure and fewer water-safety resources all contribute to increased risk. Remote communities deserve equitable access to properly maintained pools, qualified staff, swimming and survival programs, and locally appropriate water-safety education.
Every drowning is one too many—and every community, regardless of its postcode, deserves the opportunity to be safer around water.
Read the Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2026 here:
https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/research-and-policy/drowning-research/national-drowning-reports
