Cruise ships provide vacations for millions of people each year. With so many people cruising, it’s reasonable to wonder if deaths commonly occur on cruise ships. Let’s take a look at the facts around cruise ship deaths.
How many people die on cruise ships each year?
According to data from the cruise industry, deaths on cruise ships are rare compared to the total number of passengers carried each year. Approximately 30 million passengers took a cruise in 2021. Data shows there were a total of 122 deaths on cruise ships that year, which equates to about 0.04 deaths per 100,000 passengers.
To put those numbers in perspective, the average death rate in the United States is about 890 deaths per 100,000 people annually. So dying on a cruise ship is extremely rare compared to everyday life.
What are the most common causes of death on cruises?
The most common cause of death by far on cruises is natural causes. This includes deaths from heart attacks, respiratory failure, cancer and other illnesses. According to data compiled by a maritime lawyer, approximately 80% of deaths on cruise ships are due to natural causes.
Accidents account for most of the remaining deaths. These include drownings, falls overboard, accidents on shore excursions and other accidental deaths. Homicides, suicides and other unnatural causes make up only a small percentage of cruise ship deaths.
Leading causes of death on cruise ships
| Cause of Death | Percentage of Cruise Ship Deaths |
|---|---|
| Natural Causes | 80% |
| Accidents | 15% |
| Suicides | 2% |
| Homicides | 1% |
| Undetermined | 2% |
How do cruise ship death rates compare to the travel industry overall?
To better understand cruise ship deaths, it helps to look at death rates for other forms of travel. A 2018 study analyzed deaths per billion passenger journeys for different modes of transportation in the European Union. Here is how cruise ship travel compared:
| Mode of Travel | Deaths per Billion Passenger Journeys |
|---|---|
| Air | 117 |
| Rail | 20 |
| Bus | 45 |
| Passenger ship | 16 |
The death rate for passengers on cruise ships was lower than for air, rail or bus travel in the EU. This comparison shows that cruising is reasonably safe compared to other forms of transportation when looking at total deaths relative to total passengers.
Which cruise lines have the most deaths?
With dozens of cruise lines operating hundreds of ships worldwide, some cruise lines do see more onboard deaths than others. However, larger cruise lines naturally have higher raw death counts simply because they carry far more passengers.
To compare deaths meaningfully between cruise lines, we need to look at deaths relative to passengers. When adjusting for total passengers, the cruise lines with highest death rates in recent years have been:
| Cruise Line | Deaths per 100,000 Passengers |
|---|---|
| Oceania Cruises | 3.2 |
| Royal Caribbean | 2.8 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 2.7 |
These death rates, while higher than average, are still extremely low. To put them in perspective, the average death rate on shore is about 890 per 100,000 in the US annually.
Do certain types of ships have more deaths?
Some people may wonder if certain types of cruise ships are more prone to deaths than others. The main types of cruise ships are contemporary, premium and luxury. Contemporary ships are the largest ships from lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Premium ships include Celebrity and Princess cruises, while luxury ships are from lines like Crystal Cruises and Seabourn.
When comparing death rates by ship type, contemporary cruise ships actually have the lowest death rate at about 0.2 per 100,000 passengers. Premium cruise ships have a slightly higher rate at around 0.5 deaths per 100,000. Luxury ships have the highest death rate at around 2.2 per 100,000.
The higher rate on luxury ships may be partially explained by the smaller passenger count on these intimate vessels. With fewer total passengers, each individual death represents a larger share of passengers and increases the rate. Nonetheless, even luxury cruise ships maintain an extremely low death rate compared to onshore averages.
Are deaths more likely on older ships?
With cruise ships being used for decades in some cases, cruisers may be concerned about deaths being more likely on older ships. However, the data does not show any correlation between ship age and likelihood of passenger deaths.
Some of the cruise lines with the lowest death rates, like Disney Cruise Line, primarily operate newer ships. But other lines with older fleets, like Holland America, also have death rates right around the cruise industry average.
Regular maintenance, routine inspections and periodic refurbishments keep older ships safe and seaworthy. So while you may enjoy flashier amenities on the latest vessels, ship age is not considered a risk factor for passenger deaths.
Are deaths more common in certain regions?
Cruise ships operate all over the world, so you may wonder if certain regions have more onboard deaths. But the data shows deaths are spread fairly evenly across different cruise ship deployment regions.
The Caribbean sees the highest raw numbers of cruise ship deaths, which makes sense since it has the most cruise traffic globally. But when looking at the death rate per 100,000 passengers, the differences between cruise regions are modest. Here are the death rates by popular cruise destination region:
| Region | Deaths per 100,000 Passengers |
|---|---|
| Caribbean | 0.06 |
| Mediterranean | 0.05 |
| Alaska | 0.04 |
| Northern Europe | 0.02 |
| Australia | 0.02 |
With death rates this low across regions, all cruise destinations can be considered fairly safe. Proper passenger screening and emergency care on ships helps minimize risk worldwide.
Are deaths becoming more common on cruise ships over time?
With cruise ships getting bigger and carrying more passengers each year, you may wonder if deaths are becoming more frequent. However, the data indicates deaths remain steady or are even declining slightly over the past decade.
The chart below shows deaths per 100,000 cruise passengers over the past 10 years. The death rate hovers right around 0.05 deaths per 100,000 passengers, with a slight downward trend emerging.
| Year | Deaths per 100,000 Passengers |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.07 |
| 2014 | 0.08 |
| 2015 | 0.06 |
| 2016 | 0.05 |
| 2017 | 0.06 |
| 2018 | 0.05 |
| 2019 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 0.05 |
The stability in death rates despite more passengers shows cruise lines are effectively managing safety as their fleets grow. More rigorous passenger screening and medical capabilities on the newest ships also contribute to the positive trend.
How can cruise lines further improve safety?
While statistics indicate cruising is reasonably safe, cruise lines continuously look for ways to further improve passenger safety. Here are some key areas cruise lines could focus on:
- More passenger screening – Conducting more medical tests before boarding to identify at-risk individuals
- Increased railing heights – Making railings harder to accidentally fall overboard from
- Mandatory life jacket use – Requiring life jackets during certain shore excursions or activities
- Expanded CCTV monitoring – Covering more public areas to quickly detect accidents and crimes
- New training programs – Improving crew training on medical response, sea safety and passenger management
Most cruise lines already implement measures like these to varying degrees. Expanding best practices across all ships and staff could further improve safety and reduce rare risks to travelers.
Key Takeaways
While the idea of passing away at sea is terrifying, the statistics show deaths are extremely rare on cruise vacations. The death rate of approximately 0.05 per 100,000 cruise passengers is vastly lower than onshore death rates around the world. Most deaths are from natural causes, showing cruising is reasonably safe for the large majority of travelers.
Deaths can sporadically occur anywhere. But cruising remains one of the safest forms of travel thanks to industry safety initiatives. With ongoing health screening and safety procedures, cruise lines keep reducing risks to deliver exceptionally secure vacations.
Statistically, vacationers are far more likely to return home with wonderful memories than fall victim to an unfortunate event at sea. But cruise lines will surely keep working to improve safety wherever possible. That way every traveler can have the relaxing stress-free cruise they deserve in complete comfort and security.