# What % of humans can swim? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493 "2016-10-14T06:01:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/1 "2016-10-14T06:01:16Z")
Reading about the old [aquatic ape hypothesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquatic_ape_hypothesis), the idea that humans evolved from primates that spent a lot of time in aquatic environments. I don’t think it holds much water (no pun intended) but I was discussing it with a friend who claimed that the vast majority of humans do not know how to swim. So let’s define our terms, say we have a circular pool about 9ft deep with a radius of 50 meters. If we drop someone in the center (let’s say they’re on an inflatable and it deflates to leave them in the water) and they can make it to the edge, they get a pass at being able to swim - the length of an Olympic size pool. What percentage of humans make it to the edge? I’m guessing the old geezers and teeniest tiniest babies are doomed (except that kid on the cover of _Nevermind_), what about the adults? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/2 "2016-10-14T06:09:18Z")
I’m not sure of the answer but I would think that half seems like too large a percentage but I would think it would depend heavily on geography and if there were many natural places to swim available in a given region or country. Check this baby out: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mUPr68x2U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mUPr68x2U) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/3 "2016-10-14T13:17:14Z")
Pick out ten baby animals at the zoo, and put them in the center of your pool with the baby human. They will all swim well enough to avoid drowning, instinctively keeping their heads above water and executing coordinated paddling to move about in the water. The baby giraffe, the baby kangaroo, the baby echidna, the baby gnu, all of them. The may get disoriented and swim in circles until they are exhausted, but none will nose-dive to the bottom like a rock and drown without a fighting chance. That’s why you have to put rocks in the bag with your unwanted baby kittens. Adult mammals can also swim. Who teaches them? Polar bears are obvious swimmers, and hippos. Dogs are natural swimmers. Horses can swim. I’ve seen moose swimming. Some spend more time in the water than on land, like beavers and muskrats. None have to be taught in order to become competent swimmers. Easy to find youtube videos of animals swimming quite naturally and competently. [Deer swimming across Lake Kalamalka - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc9AUr0hd7E) The main reason most humans drown is because they have an intellect that rationalizes fear, and stands in the way of natural instinct taking over in emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/4 "2016-10-14T13:25:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Easy to find youtube videos of animals swimming quite naturally and competently. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc9AUr0hd7E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc9AUr0hd7E) > The main reason most humans drown is because they have an intellect that rationalizes fear, and stands in the way of natural instinct taking over in emergency. Actually I think it has more to do with the fact that humans are bipedal, and almost all other animals are quadrupedal. Swimming in other animals is just underwater walking speeded up. Hence the expression “dog paddle”. Human walking underwater doesn’t convert well to swimming - one needs to use one’s arms to propel oneself thru the water, and that is not an instinctive movement. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/5 "2016-10-14T13:35:02Z")
Question: would that mean that kangaroos aren’t great swimmers either? Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/6 "2016-10-14T13:59:45Z")
There’s a difference between ability and possibility. Given normal human ranges, 99.9% of non-disabled humans are (or \*\*were \*\*at some point in their lives, or **will be** at some point in their lives) physically able to swim. Whether they realize they can instinctively doggie-paddle enough to keep afloat, or whether they have anyone around who can teach them to be comfortable in the water is another matter. Likewise, lots of other behaviors in all sorts of creatures may be possible, and even natural, but unless the individual in question is given the opportunity to learn from someone and/or to partake in that activity, it doesn’t matter what they’re descended from and what they are capable of as a species - that individual won’t have the ability personally. (Kangaroos swim quite well, actually. And kangaroos are more quadrupedal than humans in that they ‘walk’ in a hunched-over manner - they might not be using their front legs to carry any weight, but they’re putting their arms down and using them as balance poles. They’re only upright when they’re fighting. They use their tail as a balance also - so they might be able to use it as a swimming rudder.) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/7 "2016-10-14T14:54:55Z")
I’ll go with the “bipedal”. It’s often repeated that other great apes can’t swim either. It appears to be more the case that it’s not instinctive - they have to learn like we do, and swim in a similar style. There have been documented cases of swimming chimps, etc. They usually don’t learn, though, and can drown, just like us. Most quadripedal animals naturally float with their heads out of the water. As noted above, they can then just make walking motions with their feet and propel themselves. BTW, nine-banded armadillos have an odd approach - normally, they don’t float. They can inflate their intestines by gulping air to the point that they are bouyant. Since an armadillo can hold its breath for something like six minutes though, they sometimes cross streams by simply walking along the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/8 "2016-10-14T16:03:34Z")
Here in China the proportion of people who can swim is very low. (I can find a number of sites that say 5%, but don’t cite their sources). Similar numbers in India. So that’s already a pretty sizeable proportion of humans who cannot. > [@jtur88](#): > > The main reason most humans drown is because they have an intellect that rationalizes fear, and stands in the way of natural instinct taking over in emergency. Even if this pop-psych theory were true, it would be irrelevant to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/9 "2016-10-14T16:20:24Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Actually I think it has more to do with the fact that humans are bipedal, and almost all other animals are quadrupedal. Swimming in other animals is just underwater walking speeded up. Hence the expression “dog paddle”. Human walking underwater doesn’t convert well to swimming - one needs to use one’s arms to propel oneself thru the water, and that is not an instinctive movement. > > Regards, > Shodan Also humans tend to wear clothes and shoes which when waterlogged can make it hard to move freely and drag you down. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/10 "2016-10-14T16:29:54Z")
If you never go near water, it’s less likely you learn. But if you have to swim 50m then you can lift up your head and move your arms. I’m gonna guess 15% of folks can swim but 80% would survive your scenario, if they are not disabled, very young and reasonably calm. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/11 "2016-10-14T16:50:37Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > If you never go near water, it’s less likely you learn. But if you have to swim 50m then you can lift up your head and move your arms. I’m gonna guess 15% of folks can swim but 80% would survive your scenario, if they are not disabled, very young and reasonably calm. For that matter, you can lie on your back, use just your arms, and not have to coordinate your breathing. An elementary backstroke is slow, and you can’t see where you’re going, but it requires less exertion and is easy to learn. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/12 "2016-10-14T17:09:25Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Actually I think it has more to do with the fact that humans are bipedal, and almost all other animals are quadrupedal. Swimming in other animals is just underwater walking speeded up. Hence the expression “dog paddle”. Human walking underwater doesn’t convert well to swimming - one needs to use one’s arms to propel oneself thru the water, and that is not an instinctive movement. > > Regards, > Shodan > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > If you never go near water, it’s less likely you learn. But if you have to swim 50m then you can lift up your head and move your arms. I’m gonna guess 15% of folks can swim but 80% would survive your scenario, if they are not disabled, very young and reasonably calm. [This is what Wiki says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_swimming). We humans have a natural buoyancy. That is in a swimsuit and not dressed in jeans, shirt, jacked and shoes. What makes us not being able to swim is panic, fear and overthinking the process of swimming. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/13 "2016-10-14T17:14:42Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > For that matter, you can lie on your back, use just your arms, and not have to coordinate your breathing. An elementary backstroke is slow, and you can’t see where you’re going, but it requires less exertion and is easy to learn. I’ve often wondered why they don’t teach backstroke first in swimming class. It’s the one swimming style man seems naturally adapted for. It’s totally consistent with the center of buoyancy for a human body with air-filled lungs, and also keeps your mouth and nose above the waterline. Sure, you don’t see where you’re going, but you can almost always keep an eye on the clouds or the sun to maintain a constant direction. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/14 "2016-10-14T17:43:02Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > Question: would that mean that kangaroos aren’t great swimmers either? > > Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk Got me curious, so I checked and there are indeed “swimming kangaroo” videos on youtube. [This one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRcIr-bxdGs) gives a reasonably clear view of a kangaroo stroke. It’s like a dogpaddle but they can use their powerful tails as well, and since so much of their weight in in their tails and hind legs, they have little problem keeping their heads above water. I wouldn’t expect them to set any speed records, and aquatic mammals like seals can no doubt swim rings around them, but the 'roos do okay. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/15 "2016-10-14T17:52:04Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The may get disoriented and swim in circles until they are exhausted, but none will nose-dive to the bottom like a rock and drown without a fighting chance. That’s why you have to put rocks in the bag with your unwanted baby kittens. The reason you put rocks in the bag is so that some kid doesn’t find a sack of drowned kittens floating in the river. You can check the rates of drowning in different countries to learn who has the worst swimmers. > **[DROWNINGS DEATH RATE BY COUNTRY](https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/drownings/by-country/)** > > Interactive Charts and Maps that Rank Drownings as a Cause of Death for every country in the World. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/16 "2016-10-14T17:59:10Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Human walking underwater doesn’t convert well to swimming - one needs to use one’s arms to propel oneself thru the water, and that is not an instinctive movement. All human babies are excellent crawlers, the first instinctive movement, which even comes into play mechanically while they are still on their backs and they wave and kick their extremities. > [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > You can check the rates of drowning in different countries to learn who has the worst swimmers. Most people who drown think they can swim. People who can’t swim stay out of the water. So yur statistics might actually represent a negative correlation. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/17 "2016-10-14T18:14:58Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > [This is what Wiki says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_swimming). The wiki article says > [@](#): > > Swimming relies on the natural buoyancy of the human body. On average, the body has a relative density of 0.98 compared to water, which causes the body to float. However, buoyancy varies on the basis of both body composition and the salinity of the water. Higher levels of body fat and saltier water both lower the relative density of the body and increase its buoyancy. The fact that the AVERAGE human body is only slightly less dense than water means that a lot of individuals are more dense and will sink. Even those that technically float may float with their mouth and nose underwater, depending on their position. And if the water is not completely calm, wave action can cause water to temporarily overwhelm the person’s face, causing aspiration of water. [A Time magazine survey](http://time.com/106912/red-cross-swimming-campaign/) says that 86% of Americans think they can swim, but only 44% know the basics of water competency. And this is just based on a survey. I bet if you threw those 56% of people who “know” competency skills in the water, a large fraction would still drown. I was quite surprised to read once that before the 20th century, most sailors didn’t know how to swim. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/18 "2016-10-14T18:57:12Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > All human babies are excellent crawlers, the first instinctive movement, which even comes into play mechanically while they are still on their backs and they wave and kick their extremities. But human adults, which is what the OP asked about, do not swim instinctively, for the reasons mentioned. Swimming in humans is a learned skill. That’s why countries with no access to open water, or pools, have lower percentages of people who can swim. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/19 "2016-10-14T19:40:03Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > 86% of Americans think they can swim, but only 44% know the basics of water competency. That should have read "44% **don’t** know the basics of water competency. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493/20 "2016-10-14T22:55:28Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > That’s why you have to put rocks in the bag with your unwanted baby kittens. I pray to the God who isn’t there that all people who dispose of their unwanted kittens that way will themselves suffer that same fate (i.e. death by drowning) in this life or some other. I can’t think of a more horrible way to die. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-humans-can-swim/768493.md?page=2)