Without the RNLI, 4 Million People Wouldn’t Be Here Today

A new report has revealed that around 4 million people are alive today because the RNLI saved someone in their family.

Two Centuries of Lifesaving Impact

The study, released by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Worshipful Company of Actuaries, looked at the long-term impact of the charity’s lifesaving work over the last 200 years.

It estimated how many people have been born as a result of the RNLI saving someone’s life at sea – calculating not just those who were rescued, but also their descendants. The total comes in at an incredible 4 million people.

The actuarial model used to reach the figure looked at historical population data including fertility rates, mortality rates, gender mixes and the approximate age of those rescued.

“The RNLI has been saving lives at sea for over 200 years”

Angela Rook, Associate Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Media at the RNLI, said:

“The RNLI has been saving lives at sea for over 200 years. The new report provides us with the collective impact and benefit that the RNLI has brought to our society today. 4 million people are here today due to the selflessness and courage of our lifesavers for over two centuries.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Worshipful Company for Actuaries for creating this report and helping us to fully understand the impact that the RNLI has made.

The concept of undertaking this calculation was originally construed by one of our long-serving Tower Lifeboat Station volunteer crew members, Stephen Wheatley.  He successfully introduced the Worshipful Company of Actuaries and the RNLI, for which we are most grateful.”

A Lifesaving Legacy

Gordon Sharp, Master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries, said:

“The work of charities like the RNLI is a cornerstone of our society.  Given actuaries are passionate about longevity, it is wonderful to see the positive impact saving lives over the centuries has on building thriving communities over the longer term.

The Worshipful Company of Actuaries focuses its efforts on areas of Charity, City and Community and we are delighted to have applied our technical skills to help illustrate the long-term impact of the RNLI.”

Peter Tompkins, who prepared the report, added:

“The RNLI has maintained a remarkable record of data on saving lives over the last 200 years. We combined this with the equally good national record of population statistics to show the effect that family growth has had on the numbers of people to be thankful for the rescue of an ancestor.”

146,000 Lives and Counting

Since it was founded, the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,000 lives. With the busy summer season just around the corner, the charity is preparing once again to help those in need.

You can learn more about the RNLI at www.rnli.org.

📷RNLI continues to save lives at sea - Credit: RNLI