Thirty-three percent of drowning incidents recorded in Ghana in 2022 claimed the lives of individuals aged 15-29 years, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghana Navy.
The findings highlight that this age group was the most affected, followed by individuals aged 30-49 years, who accounted for 25% of cases. Children aged 5-14 years and 0-4 years made up 17% and 12%, respectively, underscoring the vulnerability of younger populations to drowning.
The report also revealed a significant gender disparity in drowning fatalities, with males disproportionately affected. Ghanaian males accounted for 63% of the total 52 drowning incidents in 2022, while females represented 37%. Experts attribute this disparity to the higher involvement of males in water-based activities such as fishing, swimming, and boating, coupled with limited safety interventions like lifeguards, barriers to water access, and rescue training programs.
Despite some existing safety measures, such as sub-national lifejacket mandates, Ghana has yet to implement many critical interventions to prevent drowning. Programs such as water safety education in schools and disaster resilience strategies remain underdeveloped or have limited coverage.
On a global scale, drowning remains a major public health issue, with the WHO reporting over 300,000 fatalities in 2021 alone. The first-ever Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention reveals that while the global drowning death rate dropped by 38% between 2000 and 2021, progress has been uneven. The WHO European Region recorded a significant 68% decline in drowning deaths over the same period, but the WHO African Region experienced only a 3% reduction.
With a drowning rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people, Africa has the highest drowning rate in the world. The report further highlights that only 15% of African countries have a national drowning prevention strategy compared to 45% in Europe.
Alarmingly, over 30 people are estimated to drown every hour globally, with nearly half of these fatalities occurring among individuals under the age of 29 and a quarter among children under the age of 5. The WHO has warned that if current trends persist, drowning could claim over 7.2 million lives, primarily children, by the year 2050.
The WHO emphasizes that most drowning deaths are preventable through the adoption of proven interventions. These include installing barriers to restrict child access to water, creating safe play areas for pre-school children, teaching school-aged children swimming and water safety skills, and training communities in rescue and resuscitation techniques. Other measures include enforcing regulations for safe boating, shipping, and ferry operations, improving flood risk management strategies, and raising public awareness of drowning risks.
For Ghana, implementing these interventions is critical to reducing drowning incidents, particularly among vulnerable age groups such as the 15-29 years demographic. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated efforts at both national and community levels to ensure improved safety and awareness around water-related activities.
