National Drowning Report 2026: New South Wales drowning toll reinforces need for action
The release of the National Drowning Report 2026 provides an important reminder of the ongoing impact of drowning across Australia and the need for continued investment in drowning prevention, swimming and water safety education.
The annual National Drowning Report examines fatal drowning across Australia, providing critical insights into who is drowning, where incidents are occurring and the activities and circumstances contributing to drowning risk.
This year’s report recorded 313 drowning deaths across Australia during 2025/26, with 109 deaths occurring in New South Wales.
For Royal Life Saving NSW | ACT | TAS, the findings reinforce the importance of ensuring people of all ages, backgrounds and locations have the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to enjoy the water safely.
A continued focus on drowning prevention in NSW
New South Wales has consistently carried a significant proportion of Australia's drowning burden, reflecting both the size of the population and the diverse range of aquatic environments enjoyed across the state.
The latest report highlights:
These findings build on concerning trends identified in previous years. The 2025 National Drowning Report recorded 129 drowning deaths in NSW, 29% above the 10-year average. Rivers and creeks were the leading locations for drowning, followed by beaches, while older Australians and males continued to be significantly represented in the statistics.
While annual figures fluctuate, the longer-term trends demonstrate why drowning prevention cannot be focused on one age group, location or time of year.
Addressing those most at risk
Drowning risk is not experienced equally across the community.
Factors including where people live, access to swimming and water safety education, socioeconomic disadvantage, cultural background and familiarity with Australian waterways can all influence a person's risk around water.
Regional and remote communities remain an important priority, where people often have greater exposure to rivers, dams and other inland waterways while facing reduced access to swimming lessons, aquatic facilities and lifesaving services.
People from multicultural and newly arrived communities are another important focus. Ensuring everyone has access to culturally appropriate water safety information and opportunities to develop swimming and survival skills is critical as Australia's communities continue to grow and diversify.
Older Australians also remain an important focus for drowning prevention, highlighting the need to maintain swimming ability, understand changing physical capabilities and make considered decisions when participating in aquatic activities.
Building skills for life
The National Drowning Report is not simply a record of lives lost. It provides evidence to help guide where drowning prevention efforts can have the greatest impact.
Royal Life Saving NSW | ACT | TAS continues to work across communities to address these risks through swimming and water safety education, lifesaving programs, CPR and first aid education, community awareness initiatives, research, advocacy and partnerships with aquatic facilities, schools, councils and community organisations.
A particular priority is ensuring children and young people develop strong swimming and water safety skills early in life.
Swimming ability alone does not eliminate drowning risk, but developing swimming, survival, rescue and water safety skills provides an essential foundation for safer participation in aquatic activities throughout life.
Equally important is ensuring these opportunities reach communities that may otherwise miss out due to cost, location, transport, language or other barriers.
Drowning prevention is everyone's responsibility
Every drowning death represents a life lost and has a lasting impact on families, friends, first responders and communities.
The release of the National Drowning Report 2026 is an opportunity for all Australians to consider what they can do to reduce drowning risk.
Simple actions can save lives: actively supervise children around water, learn to swim and maintain your skills, wear a lifejacket when boating or fishing, avoid alcohol around water, check conditions before entering the water, avoid going alone and choose patrolled beaches whenever possible.
For Royal Life Saving NSW | ACT | TAS, the latest findings strengthen our commitment to working with governments, industry and communities to ensure everyone has the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge to be safe around water.
Every life lost to drowning is one too many. By working together and investing in prevention, education and access, we can continue to build safer communities across New South Wales and Australia.
Read the full National Drowning Report 2026 and learn more about the latest drowning trends across Australia here:
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