Portugal’s 57 drowning deaths ahead of peak summer season a ‘near record high’

Fifty-seven people drowned in Portugal between January 1 and May 31, placing 2026 on course to match one of the country’s deadliest years for water-related fatalities, according to provisional data released by FEPONS, the Portuguese Lifeguard Federation, today.

The figure is just one death below the 58 recorded during the same period in 2024, which marked the worst January-to-May period since the federation’s Drowning Observatory began collecting data in 2017.

FEPONS says the latest figures highlight a worrying upward trend – and warn that drowning remains a major public safety issue requiring urgent national action.

The federation’s detailed report, covering the first quarter of the year, recorded 36 drowning deaths between January and March — the highest first-quarter total since records began, and a 28.6% increase on the same period in 2025.

Rivers accounted for nearly half of all fatalities during the first three months of the year, with 17 deaths, followed by the sea with seven.

Other incidents occurred on flooded roads (during the winter storms), in wells, dams, harbours and domestic swimming pools.

Men represented almost 70% of victims, while the most affected age group was adults aged between 20 and 24.

Significantly, FEPONS said that every drowning recorded during the period occurred in locations without lifeguard supervision (this, largely, because lifeguards are almost never in service before mid-May, or even June).

Geographically, the highest proportion of cases was registered in the district of Coimbra, followed by Braga and the autonomous region of Madeira.

In response to the rising death toll, the federation plans to meet government officials to present measures aimed at reducing drowning deaths in Portugal.

Proposed actions include stronger water safety education, targeted prevention strategies for rivers and reservoirs, reforms to lifeguard legislation (so that they are not simply seasonal), measures to address chronic lifeguard shortages and improved risk assessment systems.

Portugal’s 2026 bathing season officially runs from April 15 to October 31, covering 673 designated bathing waters across the country. But lifeguard cover is rarely taken on before mid-May at the very earliest.

Source material: Lusa/ Executive Digest

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.