Burden of unintentional drowning in Indonesia: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

A high burden of unintentional fatal drowning has been reported in low- and middle-income countries. However, little is known about unintentional drowning in Indonesia.

This population-based retrospective cohort study analysed unintentional drowning data for Indonesia sourced from The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Estimates of trends, mortality rates, incidence rates, years lived with disability (YLDs) and disability adjusted life years were generated.

A decline in unintentional drowning mortality rates was observed, with an average annual mortality rate of 2.58/100 000. Males were 1.81 (95% CI 1.79 to 1.84) times more likely than females to unintentionally drown. Average annual mortality rates were highest among the under-5 age group (9.67/100 000) and 70 and over (5.71/100 000 for males; 5.14/100 000 for females). Distributions of drowning deaths vary depending on region, with mortality rates higher in Papua, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara regions.

While a decline in drowning mortality rates in Indonesia was identified between 2005 and 2019, mortality rates for unintentional drowning remained high among children under 5 years, the elderly population and those residing in Papua, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara, warranting further focused attention.

A downward trend in the rate of unintentional drowning deaths in Indonesia is observed from 2005 onwards, with risk variation based on age, gender and region. The findings highlight the importance of addressing drowning as a cause of premature mortality and health system burden in Indonesia, including through enhancing drowning data collection systems and identifying drowning risk factors.