New figures from Swim England, the sport's governing body, indicate that a significant proportion of black Britons are unable to swim 25 metres unaided. The data, compiled from a survey of 4,500 people and published in 2022, shows that 67% of black women and 44% of black men in England cannot swim this distance. This contrasts sharply with 17% of white women and 12% of white men.
This disparity in swimming ability has been a long-standing trend. While all children in the UK are expected to be able to swim by the time they leave primary school, the reasons behind this gap among black people have not been fully explained.
A persistent myth suggesting black people have denser bones, making it harder to float, was debunked in 2023. A study by the University of Portsmouth, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and the Black Swimming Association (BSA) found that bone density could not predict floating ability, with 89 of 101 participants floating unassisted for two minutes.
Alice Dearing, a former Olympic swimmer and co-founder of the BSA, suggests that historical racial exclusion from pools, particularly in the US, may have influenced British culture, leading some black people to believe they cannot swim. Parental influence also plays a role; children are less likely to start swimming lessons at a young age if their parents have not learned to swim.
Nathaniel Cole, co-founder of Swim Dem Crew, highlights that parents who cannot swim may inadvertently make the water seem dangerous. Additionally, Kevin Hylton, emeritus professor of equality and diversity in sport at Leeds Beckett University, points to socio-economic factors, noting that access to leisure and swimming facilities can differ significantly based on class.