In 2023, the Canary Islands are placed in the unenviable position of being the third highest region in Spain for the number of deaths by drowning with 52 fatalities, according to data compiled by the Spanish Royal Lifesaving and Lifeguard Federation.
Nationally, the year 2023 ended with 422 deaths due to unintentional drowning in aquatic spaces, representing an 8% increase compared to 2022 and marking the highest figure since 2019.
Furthermore, last year's data is the fourth-worst since the inception of this report in 2015. This is despite a notable decrease in December, with 17 fatalities compared to the 29 recorded in the same month the previous year.
For the second time since 2015, Andalusia has reclaimed its position as the region with the highest number of drownings, tallying 68, the same as in 2022. Following Andalusia are Catalonia with 66 deaths, the Canary Islands with 52, and the Valencian Community and Galicia, both reporting 46.
Other regions include the Balearic Islands (32), Asturias (17), Castilla y León (16), Murcia (16), the Basque Country (15), Castilla-La Mancha (10), Aragon (9), Madrid (7), Extremadura (5), Navarre (4), along with Ceuta (3). Notably, Melilla did not record any drownings.
In 2023, beaches saw the highest number of drowning deaths, accounting for 231 out of the total (54.7%), followed by rivers with 63 (14.9%) and pools with 47 (11.1%). Additionally, 81 incidents occurred in other aquatic spaces.
Of the 422 fatalities, 103 took place in areas with surveillance, 148 occurred in unsupervised zones, and 171 were in locations where surveillance services were not deemed necessary.
The typical profile of those who lost their life to drowning in 2023 is a male (80.3%), aged over 45 years (76.5%), of Spanish nationality (72.5%), meeting their demise on a beach (54.7%), or in an unsupervised space (75.6%), between 10:00am and 2:00pm (31%).
A staggering 57% of these deaths occurred during the summer months, but in the Canary Islands more were in the winter months due to the islands being an all-year-round destination compared to other locations
