Drowning in Virginia

Virginians face a significant burden due to drowning. A total of 3,408 potential years of life were lost in Virginia in 2023 due to drowning before the age of 75 (CDC, WISQARS, 2025).

From 2020 to 2024, 473 Virginians died due to drowning: 

• 11.6% occurred in pools.
• 15.6% occurred in bathtubs.
• 58.1% occurred in a natural body of water like lakes, oceans, or rivers.

Three in four (74.8%) of these drownings occurred among males.

Drowning occurred among all age groups. Among people who drowned in swimming pools, 40.0% were children ages 1 to 4, and another 10.9% were youth ages 5 to 19, meaning just over half of all pool drowning deaths were among those under 20 years old.

Drowning deaths are not the only burden faced by Virginians. Time, hospitalization, and treatment costs for non-fatal drowning can be devastating to families.

Hospitalization

During 2020 to 2024 in Virginia, there were 81 inpatient hospitalizations for non-fatal drownings.

• 23.5% of these were pool-related. Of these:
• • • 63.1% were male.
    • 47.4% were among children ages 1-4 years (VDH, Office of Family Health Services, 2025).

Emergency Response

During 2020 to 2024 in Virginia, there were 1,477 drowning-related emergency departments (ED) visits for non-fatal drownings. Of these:

• 43.5% of these were among children less than 5 years of age
• 20.6% were among children 5-14 years of age.

Males accounted for 59.3% of ED visits.

Of reported injuries:

• 32.0% occurred in a pool.
• 19.6% occurred in a natural body of water.
• 10.1% occurred in a bathtub.
• 38.3% occurred in a water type that was unspecified (VDH, Office of Epidemiology, 2025).

Between 2020-2024, there were 522 drowning-related EMS incidents. Of these: 

• 170 (32.6%) occurred in a pool. Of those:
  • 47.0% of persons were less than 5 years of age.
  • 20.0% were aged 5-14 years of age (VDH, Office of Emergency Medical Services, 2025).

• CDC Drowning Facts
• CDC Drowning Data
• Drowning Related Publications & Resources 
  • Clemens T, Moreland B, Mack KA, Thomas K, Bergen G, Lee R. Vital Signs: Drowning Death Rates, Self-Reported Swimming Skill, Swimming Lesson Participation, and Recreational Water Exposure — United States, 2019–2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 14 May 2024. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7320e1
  • Yang, T. (2024). Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Nonfatal Drowning Injuries and Reported Drownings, 2024 Report [White paper]. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Pool-or-Spa-Submersion-Estimated-Nonfatal-Drowning-Injuries-and-Reported-Drownings-2024-Report_0.pdf.

For Drowning Prevention Information, please visit VDH's Drowning Prevention webpage.

• Office of Family Health Services. (n.d.). Virginia Health Information inpatient hospitalization data. (O. o. Management, Compiler).
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. (2019). Fatal Child Drownings in Virginia, 2014-2016. Virginia Department of Health. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. (n.d.). Virginia Medical Examiner Data System. Virginia Department of Health.
• Office of Epidemiology. (2022). Virginia ESSENCE Syndromic Surveillance Data. Virginia Department of Health.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 24). The Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC): An All-inclusive Model Public Swimming Pool and Spa Code. From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/mahc/index.html
• Office of Environmental Health Services (OEHS). (2023). Agency Review and Recommendation to Address Illness, Injury, and Death Prevention at Public Aquatic Facilities: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/environmental-health-services/swim-healthy/vdh-public-aquatic-facility-policy-analysis/ 
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2024). Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Nonfatal Drowning Injuries and Reported Drownings, 2024 Report. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Pool-or-Spa-Submersion-Estimated-Nonfatal-Drowning-Injuries-and-Reported-Drownings-2024-Report_0.pdf.