More Dutch nationals drowned in 2024 than in the previous years, according to preliminary figures from statistics agency CBS and quoted by the Volkskrant.

A total of 107 accidental drownings were registered last year, compared to an average of 89 in the last 10 years. Half of those to die were over the age of 60 and most were men, the paper said.

The figures do not include foreign tourists or foreign nationals working in the Netherlands. In 2023, 41 people who were on holiday or not officially registered as residents drowned in Dutch lakes, rivers and the sea.

Unprepared swimmers and people who can’t swim well are more likely to drown, swim safety organisation NRZ and location monitor NIVZ said, and more people drown in lakes and rivers than in the sea.

The high number of deaths among the over 60s may be down to a decline in swimming skills, the NRZ said. In addition, the organisation said, they may not be in a good physical condition, and men over 60 in particular tend to overestimate their ability.

The total number of drownings in the Netherlands has gone down significantly since the 1950s when between 400 to 500 people perished each year. School swimming lessons were introduced in the 1960s but have not been compulsory since 1985 and far fewer schools now teach their pupils to swim.