Hardly any swimming skills

Study: Every 5th child is at risk of drowning

According to the study, there are major deficits in children's swimming skills. In the worst case scenario, this can lead to drowning (symbolic image).

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/VACH)

An alarming study shows: One in five children in Austria is considered at risk of drowning. Almost 134,000 children and young people aged between five and 19 were unable to swim in the first quarter of 2024, while a further 93,000 had very poor swimming skills.

The Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV), which commissioned the study, emphasizes that there are already enormous deficits among children and young people that urgently need to be remedied. According to the study, the number of non-swimmers across all age groups remains consistently high. According to the study, 670,000 people in Austria cannot swim.

Parental commitment is crucial
The social environment plays a conspicuously strong role in children's swimming skills, with parental commitment also playing a decisive role. "63 percent of all children who know how to swim have learned to swim from their parents. Among those children who cannot swim or cannot swim well enough, the most common reason given was that their families never went swimming," explained Johanna Trauner-Karner, Head of Sports and Leisure Safety at the KFV.

The proportion of poor swimmers is particularly high among people living in precarious income situations.

Johanna Trauner-Karner (KFV)

Private swimming lessons not affordable for everyone
In addition, professional swimming courses also played a role for 41% in acquiring swimming skills, with private courses often being a hurdle for financially weak households. School sports came in third place, with 17% of children acquiring swimming skills as part of this.

"Our study clearly shows that the proportion of poor to mediocre swimmers is particularly high among people living in precarious income situations," says Trauner-Karner. Following the lockdowns in the coronavirus years, further intensification of swimming lessons at school and the parallel expansion of subsidized swimming lessons in leisure time are therefore necessary.

Level of education plays an important role
The KFV also pointed out that the level of education also plays an important role in the acquisition of swimming skills. Most of the respondents with a school-leaving certificate had already learned to swim between the ages of four and five. In the same age group without a school-leaving certificate, on the other hand, most stated "at the age of eight or later".

In addition, only five percent of people with a school-leaving certificate cannot swim at all, compared to eight percent of people in the same age group without a school-leaving certificate. Nevertheless, the KFV also advised people with good swimming skills to exercise caution. "To prevent fatigue or circulatory problems in the water, we recommend carrying buoys, especially if someone swims far out in a lake."

387 people drowned in ten years
According to figures from Statistics Austria, a total of 387 people have drowned in Austria in the past ten years, including 38 children and young people aged between five and 19. The data for 2023 has not yet been published by Statistics Austria. In this context, the KFV once again called for more nationwide implementation of the measures against drowning accidents provided for in the current government program - but above all for nationwide support for educational institutions in the implementation of suitable swimming courses.