One Quarter of Amsterdam consists of water
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
An average of 18 people drown in Amsterdam every year — most of them in the canals.
Amsterdam’s canals: The Silent Killer
- One Quarter of Amsterdam consists of water
- Peeing into the canals of Amsterdam can be dangerous
- Amsterdam Canals: Stairs, Ropes and Grabbing Stones
- Crime or Accident?
- Varying statistics: Drowning deaths in Amsterdam
- On a lighter note…
- Amsterdam Canal Swimming Not Recommended
- What to do if you fall into a canal
- Stay safe and dry: Take a Canal Cruise
- More about the Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’ No wonder, as the city has 165 canals — with a total length of 100 km (60 miles).
If you add the rivers and lakes, a quarter of Amsterdam consists of water.
Each year more than 100 people end up in the water.
In most cases, there is no permanent damage. However, according to research performed by the Public Health Service of Amsterdam (GGD), an average of 18 people drown in Amsterdam every year.1The most recent research was conducted in 2017
Surprisingly, currently nobody keeps track, in part because emergency services are understaffed and overworked.
But of the 88 drowning cases that occurred between 2011 and 2015, 19 — nearly twenty percent — involved suicide.
In more than eighty percent of cases, the victim is a man, usually from the Netherlands. A third of the victims are foreigners.
Peeing into the canals of Amsterdam can be dangerous
According to the GGD, almost twenty percent of the drowning victims showed signs of drug or alcohol addiction, were homeless or suffered from mental confusion.
Alcohol and/or drug use played a role in forty percent of the drowning cases.
Ga niet dood aan je hoge nood
Roughly translated:
Don’t die when the need is high
In many cases, men who were unsteady on their feet under the influence of drugs or alcohol fell into a canal while trying to relieve themselves.
It’s difficult to keep your balance on the edge of a canal when you are intoxicated — especially when it’s dark. Plus, you have just come out of a warm pub into the cold of the night. This often results in what is known as micturition syncope, which refers to the human phenomenon of passing out shortly after or during urination.
Alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate (hence the red cheeks). Less blood flows back to the heart. This lowers your blood pressure, which in turn can lead to dizziness.
Once someone has fallen into the water, it is difficult to get out again — even if the unfortunate person is not intoxicated.
Most quays are quite high, and there are not many ladders or jetties. In addition, many canals are free of houseboats, sloops and dinghies to cling to or climb onto.
In the past, life-saving devices such as floating hooks, lifelines and lifebuoys were attached to the bridges, but vandalism and theft have put an end to this.
Amsterdam Canals: Stairs, Ropes and Grabbing Stones
In an ongoing effort to reduce the number of drowning incidents, the city has installed more public toilets in various locations. More are on the way.
Additionally, in an ongoing renovation project of the city’s quays and bridges, safety improvements are included. Vandal-proof lifeline ropes and grabbing stones can help someone reach emergency ladders placed at regular intervals.
The 20 centimeter high iron bars that for years prevented cars from inadvertently driving into the canals are also being removed so that people won’t accidentally stumble over them.
Fencing the canals — a frequently heard suggestion — would be impractical and unsightly. Besides, since 2010 the seventeenth-century canal ring is featured on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It remains listed on the condition that no such high impact alterations are made.
Crime or Accident?
Statistics on the number of drownings in Amsterdam are hard to come by.
in 2012 it was reported that between 2009 and 2011, 51 people drowned in the canals of Amsterdam.2This article was first published January 9, 2012. It is updated on a regular basis.
Local daily De Telegraaf noted that only one of those casualties occurred as the result of a crime.
The other 50 drownings were ruled accidents. Most of them involved men, and according to the newspaper ostensibly ‘most of them were drunk’ when they fell in while trying to pee into a canal.
Varying statistics: Drowning deaths in Amsterdam
“Why do we not warn tourists of the dangers of the canal?” Amsterdam daily Het Parool asks in an article headlined ‘Sluipmoordenaar‘ (Assassin). [Link shows article in Dutch]
But how many people — both locals and tourists — actually drown in Amsterdam’s canals?
In 2015 Tobias van Dijk, a researcher with the Public Health Service of Amsterdam (GGD), studied drowning incidents in the city.
The Law: Peeing in public is illegal, and can result in a fine of €150.00 ($163.00 | £128.00)
He reports that every year more than 30 people drown in the open waters of Amsterdam (this includes not only the canals, but also lakes, rivers, ditches, swimming pools and garden ponds).
About a quarter (7.5, if you take 30 as an average) — say seven or eight people — drown in a canal.
But on average ‘only’ 3 people a year are presumed to have drowned while peeing into a canal. That conclusion is usually based on the state of the victim’s clothes (e.g. open zipper or pants undone). 3Drownings are no laughing matter. However, the initial report about the number of people who fell into a canal while attempting to relieve themselves led someone to create a satirical video: ‘Safe ways to pee into the canals of Amsterdam.’
Van Dijk notes that forensic research into the actual circumstances surrounding a drowning is complicated.
Note: various media outlets recently reported that, according to figures provided by the police, ‘some 15 bodies a year’ are found in the canals.
However, the Parool article mentioned above says
Every year police finds about ten ‘water cadavers’ in the canals.
Police usually do not have to take long to determine the cause. The drowning victims are sometimes found with their fly still undone.
“People who pee into the canals usually are not Amsterdam locals.”
Police spokesman Rob van der Veen is well-informed regarding the drowning cases. “Often the victims are intoxicated when they leave the warm pub and get out into the cold. When you then go and pee, your blood pressure drops, making you dizzy. That can easily result in a fall.”
So we’ve got three different numbers when it comes to how many people a year drown in Amsterdam’s canals:
7 or 8 (GGD)
‘some 15’ (news media citing numbers ‘provided by the police’)
‘about 10’ (Het Parool, citing a police spokesman)
There may not be that much difference between these statistics, but each drowning death is one too many.
’10’ is probably the most reliable number, given that Van Dijk’s numbers are based on a percentage of ‘more than 30 people’ who drown in all of Amsterdam’s open water.
Netherlands Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek – CBS) says that in 2020, the most recent year for which figures are available right now, there were 7 “accidental drownings” in Amsterdam.
However, a spokesperson for Amsterdam’s department OIS: Research, Information and Statistics (Onderzoek, Informatie en Statistiek) notes that the CBS numbers concern only registered citizens of Amsterdam who died by drowning — not the number of people (including tourists) who drowned in the city.
By the way, online forums — such as the ones provided by TripAdvisor — often perpetuate incorrect information. In what essentially is a game of ‘Chinese Whispers,’ details of a news story often get changed or embellished. The only remedy is to to trace the story back to a reliable source.
On a lighter note…
Speaking about safety measures — or the lack thereof — police spokesperson Rob van deer Veen says there is one solution that always works: “People should not pee into a canal.”
And Australian comedian Steve Hughes explains why Amsterdam’s canals do not have fences:
See also the tongue-in-cheek, Safe ways to pee into the canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Canal Swimming Not Recommended
Swimming in the canals of Amsterdam — while not illegal — is discouraged.
Swimming in Amsterdam: includes information about swimming in the canals (and other ‘wild spots’)
For one thing, there is there quite a lot of boat traffic on most canals.
For another, those who’d like to swim a few rounds should realize that a few hundred of Amsterdam’s houseboats are yet to be connected to the city’s sewer system.
Hence, people rescued from the canals are always strongly encouraged to get a tetanus shot.
That said, the ambition of Waternet — the Water authority in Amsterdam and surroundings — is to someday have the canal water of Amsterdam clean enough for people to swim in.
What to do if you fall into a canal
Tracker: Emergency phone number 112 reports regarding people in the water. It shows whether police, fire brigade, and/or an ambulance are called to the scene.
Do not panic, but yell ‘HELP!’ as loud as you can! This is no time for pride.
The record shows that, yes, you will attract plenty of morons who will capture your predicament on their smartphones. But there will also be good Samaritans who will try and rescue you.
Stay safe and dry: Take a Canal Cruise
Want to experience the canals of Amsterdam while staying dry and safe?
Take a canal cruise – Amsterdam’s most popular tourist attraction.
More about the Canals of Amsterdam
- The Canals of Amsterdam
- Love Song to the Canals of Amsterdam
- Remember February 2021: Ice Skating on the Canals of Amsterdam
- Amsterdam’s most popular tourist attraction: Canal cruise
- How many people drown in Amsterdam’s canals?
- How many bicycles and cars end up in the canals of Amsterdam?
Footnotes
- 1The most recent research was conducted in 2017 ↩︎
- 2This article was first published January 9, 2012. It is updated on a regular basis. ↩︎
- 3Drownings are no laughing matter. However, the initial report about the number of people who fell into a canal while attempting to relieve themselves led someone to create a satirical video: ‘Safe ways to pee into the canals of Amsterdam.’ ↩︎
Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.
Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.
Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 43 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.
Last updated Tuesday, September 30, 2025 CET (Central European Time)
Do not republish or repost.
