James Cook University researcher Associate Professor Richard Franklin says drownings globally have dropped by half over the last 30 years, with rates reducing in all regions except Oceania.
Dr Franklin is the lead author of a world first study, which found the age standardised mortality rates from unintentional drowning have decreased by fifty seven percent between 1990 and 2017.
Dr Franklin has said the decrease was not uniform across countries. The revised global estimate is now approximately 300,000 drowning deaths per year.
China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for half of the drowning deaths and with children bearing the highest burden, Dr. Franklin says.
There is a need for investment in drowning prevention strategies, policy and research, including the evaluation of preventive strategies to continue the downward trend in drowning rates seen in the study.