The German Life Saving Society DLRG increased its membership in Germany again last year – to more than 600,000 people for the first time. At the end of 2023, 607,310 memberships were counted, 4.7 percent more than a year earlier, the DLRG announced. This exceeded the previous record of around 580,000 members from the previous year.
More on the topic: Swimming
Swimming: Every appearance is a triumph
Lifeguard: “The best job in the world”
Integration: Gargee learns to swim
In the coming years, the organization says it wants to increase the number of active participants in order to be able to teach more children to swim. “Over half of ten-year-olds cannot swim safely,” said DLRG President Ute Vogt. “There is no reason for us to rest.”
The organization said it was hoping for an increase in membership numbers – the corona pandemic and energy savings in the pools would have slowed down swimming training in 2022, but there were no restrictions last year. Accordingly, the number of children aged up to twelve years increased by 15,540 to 189,063. According to the information, that is 5,170 more boys and girls than at the end of 2019 and therefore shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Next generation of lifeguards
“Our volunteers at the edge of the pool were finally able to get started again,” said President Vogt. This also laid the foundation for the next generation of lifeguards.
Last year, 17 of the 18 regional associations registered more arrivals than departures. The DLRG in Hamburg grew the most in percentage terms, with an increase of 10.2 percent to now 5,245 members. Brandenburg (plus 8.7 percent to 4,442 members) and Thuringia (plus 8.3 percent to 3,209 members) also increased their numbers significantly. With 98,962 members, the largest regional association in Lower Saxony grew by 4.5 percent compared to the previous year. Only Bremen reported a slight decline, with a decrease of 0.8 percent to 3,065 members.
Members of the DLRG educate people about water hazards, teach people to swim and train them in lifesaving. In addition, more than 42,000 lifeguards monitor the safety of bathers and water sports enthusiasts every year.
The German Life Saving Society DLRG increased its membership in Germany again last year – to more than 600,000 people for the first time. At the end of 2023, 607,310 memberships were counted, 4.7 percent more than a year earlier, the DLRG announced. This exceeded the previous record of around 580,000 members from the previous year.
In the coming years, the organization says it wants to increase the number of active participants in order to be able to teach more children to swim. “Over half of ten-year-olds cannot swim safely,” said DLRG President Ute Vogt. “There is no reason for us to rest.”
