Although drowning rates are highest among children between the ages of 1 and 4, learning to swim is one strategy that older generations can also use to limit their water-hazard-related risks. In 2019, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, based on over 150,000 interviews by Gallup in 142 countries and areas, found that a majority of people aged 15 and older — 55% — said they cannot swim unassisted.

Low- and middle-income countries account for almost all — more than 90% of — unintentional drowning deaths, according to the WHO, with most drownings taking place in the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions.

These are also many of the same areas where people are most likely to say they can’t swim without assistance. More than seven in 10 adults (72%) living in low-income countries said they are unable to swim unassisted. But the numbers do not look much better in lower-middle-income countries (61%) and upper-middle-income countries (62%).