Scientists estimate drownings cost the UK almost £1 billion a year
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Drownings are taking a toll on the U.K., not just on grieving families but on the country's finances, a new study has found.
Scientists from the University of Portsmouth have partnered with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the National Water Safety Forum to calculate the economic cost of lives lost.
Using records from the Water Incident Database (WAID), which logs every water-related death in the U.K., the team worked out how many more years each person would have been expected to live had they not died.
They then multiplied each lost year by £60,000, the value HM Treasury gives one year of life when weighing public spending. In 2023, at least 659 people died in water across the U.K., and because so many of those who drown are young, together they lost 15,557 years of life.
The research, published in Public Health in Practice, estimates that this loss costs the U.K. economy around £933 million.
Drownings often affect young people
Broken down by nation, accidental deaths cost at least 5,464 years of life in England, 1,087 in Wales, 1,076 in Scotland and 127 in Northern Ireland.
"The numbers are so high because tragically drowning often affects young people, and particularly 20- to 29-year-old men," explained professor Mike Tipton, from the University of Portsmouth's Extreme Environments Research Group and chair of the National Water Safety Forum and Water Safety England. "Each death of a teenager or young adult takes away decades of life."
The authors say the true cost is likely to be even higher. The study does not count rescue and hospital costs or people who survive but are left with lifelong disabilities.
To reduce this burden, the researchers call for senior political leadership, better data to help target prevention, water safety education in schools and a well-resourced National Water Safety Forum.
Carlene McAvoy, head of policy at RoSPA and co-author of the study, said, "Every drowning death is a devastating tragedy that leaves a lasting impact on families, friends and communities. This research highlights that the consequences are also felt more widely across society, with an estimated economic cost of almost £1 billion in a single year.
"By investing in evidence-based drowning prevention and strengthening leadership across the U.K., there is a strong opportunity to save lives while reducing a significant and avoidable social and economic burden."
Hotter summers mean more deaths
The findings come after the U.K.'s hottest summer on record. The Met Office says summer 2026 had an average temperature of 16.5 °C (61.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the warmest since its records began in 1884.
Earlier research by the same team found that accidental drownings rise by 7.2% for every 1 °C the air temperature goes above 15 °C (59 degrees Fahrenheit), and by 22% for every degree when alcohol is involved. The new study's authors say the U.K. needs weather alerts linked to drowning risk.
The full toll of this summer is not yet known. Those figures will come from the Water Incident Database, whose funding runs out in January 2027.
Tipton said, "We know that when temperatures climb, more people get into the water and more people drown, and summers like the one we have just had will become more common. If the Water Incident Database loses its funding, we won't even be able to count how many lives are lost, let alone plan to protect people next year; as a consequence, this public health disaster will be set to continue."
Two changes that would save lives
The study comes as scientists at the University of Portsmouth and members of the National Water Safety Forum and Water Safety England push the U.K. government for at least two changes:
- A single U.K. minister for water safety. Currently there is no minister with responsibility for water safety and drowning prevention. A single point of contact would help integrate and coordinate drowning prevention interventions promoted by the National Water Safety Forum and its members. Scotland's Drowning Prevention Strategy has helped cut accidental drowning deaths by 10% since 2019.
- Long-term funding for the Water Incident Database (WAID). WAID is run by the National Water Safety Forum and records how, where and when people drown. Its funding runs out in January 2027. Without it, the evidence used to target safety campaigns, lifeguards and warning signs will be lost.
Last week (Oct. 20), Portsmouth scientists took this message to the Houses of Parliament. They were among a small number of organizations chosen to exhibit at The Physiological Society's 150th anniversary showcase.
Their display showed members of Parliament how 40 years of Portsmouth research into "cold shock" became lifesaving advice. Cold shock is the uncontrollable gasping that happens when you fall into cold water. It makes the first minutes of immersion in cold water the most dangerous period and occurs long before hypothermia can develop.
That research led to the advice to float on your back for the minute or two it takes the cold shock response to disappear and you get your breathing back under control. It now underpins the RNLI's award-winning Float to Live campaign and the NWSF's Find Your Float campaign. Countries including Australia, Ireland and New Zealand have adopted similar advice.
There are signs of progress. A new U.K. Drowning Prevention Strategy launched in July 2026, and water safety became part of statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance in schools from September 2026. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to keep working with the NWSF on the strategy, after receiving a letter from bereaved families.
Tipton added, "Science can tell us why people drown and what helps them survive. But research alone won't bring the numbers down. We need a minister who is accountable for drowning prevention, and we need the Water Incident Database funded beyond January 2027. Without those data, we would be trying to prevent deaths blind."
More information
Michael J. Tipton et al., Quantifying the costs of unintentional and intentional drowning in the United Kingdom: A secondary data analysis study, Public Health in Practice (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2026.100866
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Swati Mestri
Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →
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