DLRG Membership Hits Record High Amid Concerns Over Aging Pools

The German Lifesaving Association reports over 627,000 members in 2024, but warns of urgent investment needs for public swimming pools.

The Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG) reached a record 627,146 members in 2024, a 3.3% increase from the previous year and the third consecutive year of growth.
Membership has grown by over 50,000 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly half of all members aged 18 or younger, and almost 200,000 children under 12.
The strongest membership growth was recorded in Hamburg (7.8%), followed by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (7.6%), Brandenburg (7.3%), and Thüringen (6.9%).
DLRG President Ute Vogt emphasized the organization's goal to teach all children to swim by the end of primary school, but highlighted a critical need for public pool renovations.
A study found that nearly two-thirds of Germany's public swimming pools face severe maintenance backlogs, with the DLRG warning that one in seven could close within three years without significant investment.