Drowning among older people: a neglected yet vital component of global drowning prevention

Globally in 2021, for the first time, the unintentional drowning fatality rate among people aged 70 years and older (8.15 per 100,000 people) surpassed the drowning rate of children under five years (7.66 per 100,000 people). While strong investment and advocacy in child drowning prevention have proven effective, we currently lack the research, consensus-based risk factors, and age-specific drowning prevention interventions for older people. Amid a globally aging population, we use this comment to highlight the need for increased evidence to reduce the persistent yet preventable fatal drowning rate for this age group.