Overview
- Germany recorded 393 drowning deaths in 2025, 18 fewer than in 2024, based on DLRG operational data and media reports.
- Deaths increased among 11–20 and 21–30 year‑olds by eleven each to 73 combined, with about 82% of all victims male and only one female under 30.
- Most fatalities occurred in unguarded inland waters, including 158 in lakes and ponds and 153 in rivers, compared with 22 in the North and Baltic Seas.
- More than half of deaths happened during the May–August bathing season, peaking in June with 69 fatalities including one weekend with 15.
- Regional outcomes diverged as Bavaria rose to 84 deaths, bucking declines or stability in states such as North Rhine‑Westphalia (48, down from 57), Brandenburg (25, down from 30) and Berlin (16, unchanged).