Sports and recreation
Swimming
Estimated acute risk associated with recreational swimming.
Base risk estimate
1.00 micromorts per hours
Population-level estimate. Not a personal prediction.
Assumptions
Assumes recreational swimming by a generally healthy adult in a pool or open water setting. Includes drowning risk across all recreational swimming contexts.
Limitations
The exposure denominator (national recreational swimming hours) is estimated from SFIA participation data and assumed session frequency, not directly measured. Risk varies substantially by setting (supervised pool vs. open water surf), swimming ability, age, alcohol use, solo vs. group swimming, and water conditions. Children under 5 and older adults face substantially higher risk than the population average.
Source notes
Derived estimate from CDC WISQARS drowning fatality data and SFIA swimming participation data. CDC WISQARS 2022: approximately 4,512 unintentional drowning deaths in the US. Subtracting boating-related drowning (~500, per USCG 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics) and non-recreational drowning (bathtub, flooding, occupational) yields an estimated 1,500–2,000 swimming-related deaths per year. SFIA 2022 reports approximately 87 million swimming participants; applying estimated average session frequency and duration yields approximately 1 billion total recreational swimming hours per year, giving a rate of approximately 1–2 micromorts per hour. Using 1.0 as a conservative central estimate. Per-hour exposure data for recreational swimming is not directly published in national surveillance systems; the exposure denominator is estimated, introducing significant uncertainty. The previous placeholder of 0.006 µmt/hour was inconsistent with CDC drowning fatality counts.
Last reviewed
6/11/2026
How does this compare?
Activities with a similar per-unit risk level. Units vary — these are approximate comparisons.
Related activities
RiskLens is an educational tool. It uses population-level estimates to help explain relative risk. It is not a prediction of your personal risk and should not be used as medical, legal, financial, or safety advice.