Australia’s drowning death toll highest since records began three decades ago

A report on drowning has expressed concern that Australians’ swimming skills may be at their lowest since the widespread adoption of school-based swimming programs in the 1970s. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Australians’ swimming skills are at crisis levels, lifesaving organisations warn, as a new report shows 357 people drowned last financial year, the highest drowning death toll since records began in 1996.

The annual drowning report released by Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia on Tuesday recorded 357 deaths between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 – 34 more than the previous year’s total of 323, and a 27% increase on the 10-year average.