UNITE TO TURN THE TIDE

World Drowning Prevention Day - 25 July 2026

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Drowning takes more than 300 000 lives a year - 30 every hour - and almost a quarter of them are children under five. Globally, it is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years.

More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells, domestic water storage vessels and swimming pools in low- and middle-income countries, with children and adolescents in rural areas disproportionately affected.

The theme for World Drowning Prevention Day 2026 is “Unite to turn the tide.”

The Global Strategy for Drowning Prevention calls every sector and every level of society to one goal:

Unite to reduce drowning by 35% by 2035.

Closing the gap depends on all of us doing our part – every person, in every place, in every context.

This is what Turning the Tide looks like

How Thailand built an army of lifesavers

In 2006, drowning was the leading cause of death for children under 15 years in Thailand – claiming around 1500 lives every year.

Many of the youngest victims never came near a river. They drowned in household buckets. In water storage tanks. While someone's back was turned.

Thailand committed to changing this story.

The answer wasn't a single intervention. It was a movement.

Communities began identifying dangerous water bodies and fencing them. Families learned CPR. Children got swim lessons. Volunteers took on a shared responsibility to watch over the water in their backyards and communities.

Over time, more than 5000 community teams formed across every province – people in all walks of life, all contexts, doing whatever they could in their neighbourhood or sphere of influence.

By 2022, child drowning deaths were down by 57%.

No single intervention did this. Thousands of small ones did.

Know your part

Reaching our goal depends on millions of small actions – from all people, in all places, in all contexts. Know where you come in…

GET THE TOOLKIT

Join the Movement

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly recognized drowning prevention as a global priority and declared 25 July as World Drowning Prevention Day.

Since 2000, the world has cut the drowning rate by 38%.

But the work is far from done.

We know how to close this gap. We just need to do it faster, together.

Take Action

USE THE TOOLKIT

The Unite to Turn the Tide Campaign Toolkit is a practical campaign guide for communities, partners, advocates and communicators. It comes with everything you need to support the campaign on your channels, including key messages, social media copy, and ways to participate.

LINK ARMS

Share stories of the everyday heroes of your team, tell us what they are doing to prevent drowning in your community.

Tag @WHO and use the theme: Unite To Turn The Tide.

UNITE TO TURN THE TIDE

Drowning deaths are preventable

We know how – we just need to act together.