Deaths by drowning rose to 139 last year, more foreign victims

Last year 139 people drowned in the Netherlands, 41 of whom were on holiday or not officially registered as residents, national statistics office CBS has confirmed to Dutch News.

Most of them (75%) died in open water such as the sea or a lake, and most of the rest drowned at home, such as in a bath, garden pond or pool.

The figures, a sharp rise on 2022 and 2021, do not include suicide-related deaths by drowning.

Most of the victims were over the age of 60. Up to around 2000, young children accounted for by far the most victims, the CBS said.

Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, 64 children under the age of 10 and 50 aged 11 to 20 have drowned in the Netherlands, half of whom had foreign roots. Teenagers born outside Europe or with at least one non-European parent are 14 times more likely to drown than their Dutch peers.

Last week alone several people drowned in the sea or swimming lakes, including a 14-year-old Somalian boy.