Last year, 80 people who lived in the Netherlands died in drowning accidents, down 27 on 2020 but in line with trends over the past decade.

In the 1950s, between 400 and 500 people a year died in drowning accidents.

A further 86 people committed suicide by drowning and 38 drowned in the wake of a traffic accident, national statistics agency CBS said on Monday.

The figures also show that people with an ethnic minority background, particularly children, are more likely than the ethnic Dutch to die while swimming in the sea, a lake or pool.

The CBS does not keep annual figures on how many holidaymakers or other visitors die in the Netherlands in drowning accidents, but said 394 foreign nationals did so between 2012 and 2021.

Almost one third of them were German and 20% were Polish, the CBS said.

Last week, three members of a German family of four who were holidaying in the Netherlands drowned in a canoeing accident.

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can talk or chat anonymously with the helpline 113.nl or call the free number 0800-0113